The Employment Background Investigation

Employment Background Investigation (EBI) Template

Over the past few years, most employers have revised their hiring practices to incorporate the use of Pre-Employment Background Investigations in the process of evaluating and selecting applicants for employment. They have also initiated a process for conducting periodic re-examinations on Directors, key Officers, and employees entrusted with fiduciary or other responsible positions. In the past, many employers trusted their instincts and the references they were able to obtain from the applicant's prior employer to make their hiring decisions, and current employees were judged solely on the basis of their demonstrated performance in the work environment. But today, the watchword seems to be "In God We Trust...All Others We Verify". If you think about it, there have been many changes in our legal system and society that have influenced these changing policies:

	Our increased focus on child abuse, abduction, crimes against the elderly and the handicapped, and sexual misconduct in and outside the workplace have lead to a variety of State and Federal laws that require the conduct of background investigations, or at least criminal history checks, on anyone who will work with children, the elderly, or the mentally or physically disabled. In fact, our society's focus on child exploitation has led to laws in most States that require criminal history checks on volunteers who serve as a youth leaders, little-league coaches, scout leaders, etc.
	Negligent Hiring lawsuits are on the rise, and employers, particularly those that provide services inside a customer's home or business, find that they are being sued whenever the conduct or actions of one of their employees harms a customer, another employee, or the general public. This is particularly true if the employer's hiring practices failed to disclose a mental condition or prior misconduct that should have been identified if the employer had done a proper pre-employment investigation.
	Banks, Savings and Loans, Brokerage Firms, and other financial institutions are discovering that misconduct by trusted officers and key employees can reap a whirlwind of class action lawsuits and stock devaluation. They are also discovering that an aggressive program of internal audits and re-investigations could have disclosed the misconduct before it rose to such a level as to threaten the very existence of the company.
	Have you noticed how difficult it can be to get a straight answer from a former employer about your applicant's work history, qualifications, and the reason the employee left that company's employment? Privacy laws and the fear of being sued keep many prior employers from providing truthful or full responses to telephonic inquiries from personnel offices. Employers are finding that properly conducted personal reference checks by investigators who are trained in the art of interviewing can take a lot of the guesswork out of evaluating an applicants prior employment history.
	Some employment agencies report that 30-40% of the applications they review contain misrepresentations or misstatements regarding the applicant's education, training, criminal record or work history. That fact alone should convince most employers of the need to verify the information they receive from applicants.

Verification of material statements on the employment application and a thorough Employment Background Investigation by a competent Investigative Firm will take much of the uncertainty out of your employment process. Properly conducted pre-employment investigations, and periodic re-investigation of key personnel will help you reduce risk associated with problem employees and help you reduce overhead costs associated with personnel administration, workman's compensation, and liability insurance.

We encourage you to contact us to discuss your needs, so that we can design an investigation that is tailored to your requirements using a process that helps you avoid legal pitfalls. Unfortunately, there are many agencies that will offer to run a "criminal background check" for you at a fairly low cost, without providing any information on the reliability or accuracy of the sources they use to gather their information. At Secure Systems Group, Ltd., we use the Ohio Attorney General's "Webcheck" system or the Kentucky State Administrative Office of the Courts System to obtain an official record from these states to obtain accurate criminal history information. We can also submit fingerprint charts and identification information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to check for criminal records in other States. We also use several online data services, where situations require rapid turn around times, and we have made an effort to evaluate the reliability of those data services. The EBI Service Request Form, described below describes the various types of inquiries we can include in an EBI, and the prices we charge for those services.

Requests for EBI's must be accompanied by several forms required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The following describes the various forms that are required and provides links to templates you can use to satisfy these legal requirements. Just select each form in order using the links we have provided, complete each form from your browser or print the blank form and complete them by hand, then submit the completed forms to us by mail or fax. Please call us at (937) 673-4546 or email us at SSGLtd@woh.rr.com if there are any questions. We would be more than happy to come to your company to discuss our capabilities and methods, provide you with our preprinted forms or templates, and discuss the various inquiries that can be performed as part of an EBI.

EBI Service Request Form: This form lists the various inquiries that can be incorporated into an EBI, and the prices we charge for these services. Follow instructions on the form to select the services you want to include in the EBI you are ordering. As you will see, there are several types of Criminal History Checks, and many other inquiries that can be run, depending upon your particular requirements.

Method of Payment Form: This form explains our credit policy, terms of service, and the various payment options you can elect (Check, Credit Card, or Charge to Retainer). Please include a completed Method of Payment form with each order.

Employee/Applicant Identification Information Form: This form should be printed out in blank, and completed by the employee or applicant if your company does not use a standard application form that requires the applicant/employee to provide information regarding his/her identity, educational background, employment history, criminal history, etc. A completed copy of our Employee/Applicant Identification Information Form or a completed copy of the applicant/employee's job application should be submitted to us with your request for an EBI.

Client Cover Letter- Fair Credit Reporting Act Certification: This form is required with each request for an EBI. Either copy the body of this sample form letter onto your own letterhead stationary, or fill in the blanks of our form letter, and print it from your browser. If you choose to copy the format to your own letterhead, please ensure that your letter contains all of the certifications we have included in the sample form letter. If your Company plans on using our service on a regular basis, we have another form that we refer to as a "Continuing FCRA Certification" that will only need to be submitted with your initial EBI request. Please call us at (937) 673-4546 if you would prefer to use the "Continuing FCRA Certification".

Initial Notice and Consent To Obtain Background Investigation Reports: This form is to be completed by the employee/applicant to authorize our conduct of the EBI. The form also documents that the employee/applicant has received certain notifications that are required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.