Background Screening Benchmarking Report

Security Magazine has learned that HireRight on-demand employment background screening firm now has the 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Report available at www.hireright.com/benchmarking. This report is based on a comprehensive survey of security and human resources professionals from organizations of a wide range of sizes and industries. It addresses the key factors influencing employment screening programs today, the scope of their screening programs, the methods they use in operating their screening programs and the types of background checks they most commonly perform. Specific findings include:

** The top reasons for performing employment background and drug screening today are to mitigate risk, improve the quality of hire, promote workplace safety and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

** Extended workforces, including consultants, contract labor, temporary and vendor personnel, are screened one-third as often as the permanent, full-time workforce, resulting in increased risk for firms that utilize contingent labor.

** More than half of all respondents indicated they currently use or plan to use a screening solution integrated with their applicant tracking or talent management solution.

** Just over a third of all respondents indicated their organization conducts background checks internationally in some form.

** More than half of organizations who responded utilize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify employment eligibility program or are evaluating its usage.

** Job applicants are five times more likely to be screened than current employees, highlighting the existing employee risk that may exist at many companies.

The HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Survey was conducted to provide human resources and security professionals with relevant information they can use to compare their employment screening practices with their peers. The information helps organizations identify strengths and weaknesses and improve their employment screening processes and programs. Hundreds of individuals from organizations of many sizes and industries, doing business in many regions around the world, participated in the HireRight 2008 Background Screening Benchmarking Survey.

"We believe the 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Report is a valuable tool organizations can use to assess their own screening programs in the context of the practices of their peers," said Rob Pickell, vice president of marketing and product management, HireRight, Inc. "Whether you are an employer looking to do background checking for the first time or already have a comprehensive screening program in place, this report can help you by providing a consolidated view into how other organizations are approaching their employment screening programs today."

The 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Survey was conducted between January and March 2008, using an electronic questionnaire that respondents completed online. Dozens of questions were included to gather information on topics such as screening programs and their management, organizational strategic and tactical plans, and common screening policies and practices. Invitations to participate in the HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Survey were distributed via e-mail and results were combined and reported anonymously. Participants included individuals from organizations that perform employment background screening today, ranging from large businesses with more than 25,000 employees to small businesses with less than 100 employees.