United States

All 50 states have begun easing stay-at-home orders and reopening businesses stuck in limbo for more than two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you ready? McKinsey & Company notes, “As businesses step into the post-coronavirus future, they need to find a balance between what worked before and what needs to happen to succeed in the next normal.”

Staffing firms have already had to re-imagine hiring processes to meet the increased demand for essential workers. Now, as business resumes on a larger scale, staffing firms need to address new compliance concerns directly related to COVID-19.

Managing Background Checks 

Stay-at-home orders may be lifting, but staffing firms still face some challenges when it comes to conducting background checks.

• Some courthouses closed or offered limited access when the COVID-19 shutdown began, which may make it harder to conduct criminal background checks in those areas. As they reopen — which may vary from state to state — verifying a new hire’s background could still take longer due to increased demand.
• The work-from-home model has proven exceptionally effective for some businesses, but it did slow down some employer verifications. Moving forward, some companies may keep their work-from-home plans in place for many employees as they reopen to better manage the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
• Verifying a candidates’ educational background may remain challenging as well. With many universities on the fence about re-opening campuses this fall, they may modify working arrangements for administrative staff, which could lead to longer response times when inquiring about a former student.

In order to keep the hiring process moving along, it’s important that any candidate-related communications make it clear that a job offer is contingent on reopening and completing the background check when circumstances allow.

Meeting New COVID-19 Compliance Requirements

As businesses reopen, it’s critical to consider evolving guidance from both federal and state agencies addressing the ongoing COVID-19 risk. Staffing firms should consider four key areas.

1. Follow state and local executive orders. The first places to look for guidance on reopening are the state and local laws issued by the government. While all states are at some stage of reopening, specific cities or regions within a state may be subject to different guidelines based on the number of active COVID-19 cases. Maintaining a close eye on developments in hiring laws and practices can help keep staffing firms on the right side of executive orders mandating social distancing, travel restrictions, or employee health screenings.
2. Follow CDC guidance for flattening the COVID-19 curve. This includes cleaning and disinfecting a host of frequently touched surfaces and objects – from doorknobs and light switches to computer keyboards and touchscreens. The CDC guidance also recommends continued behavioral safety practices like wearing masks, social distancing, and frequent handwashing.
3. Develop an infectious disease preparedness and response plan in accordance with OSHA guidelines. Some industries have a head-start, having already put plans in place to keep essential workers on the job. Before reopening, companies must ensure they address risk factors related to COVID-19. These include, but are not limited to, implementing basic infection prevention measures, establishing policies for screening, identifying potentially infectious individuals, and clearly communicating health and safety best practices with employees.
4. Follow the EEOC guidance. Keep in mind that equal employment opportunity laws are still in force, despite COVID-19. However, the EEOC has published guidance to help employers navigate what steps they can take without violating anti-discrimination laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).  EEOC guidance says that laws like the ADA and Rehabilitation Act “… do not interfere with or prevent employers from following the guidelines and suggestions made by the CDC or state/local public health authorities about steps employers should take regarding COVID-19.” For instance, COVID-19 testing by an FDA-approved lab may be required as a condition of returning to work, provided that the rights of disabled workers are taken into account. Companies may also require that employees have their temperatures taken before entering the workplace, and may ask employees to leave the workplace if they are exhibiting symptoms. However, employers may need to make reasonable accommodations for employees who are at a high risk of contracting the virus as a result of a health condition.

Taking a comprehensive approach to compliance with COVID-19 mandates and guidance goes beyond fulfilling legal requirements. By establishing proactive plans as employees return to work, companies can prioritize the safety of their employees, earn the trust of their customers, and strengthen their brands’ reputations.

Please note that Sterling is not a law firm. The material available in this publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We encourage you to consult with your legal counsel to obtain a legal opinion specific to your needs.

This first appear on Bulhorn.com

The battle for high-quality talent is heating up and technology is assisting recruiters in finding and securing the best talent. But how do we even determine the value or quality of hire in the first place?

Again, technology can help. As with all elements of a business, every decision should now be or will soon be measurable and quantifiable using data and technology. Human resourcing and talent has historically been difficult to measure, and almost taboo to try to quantify. However, with the new technology available and the increasing competitive pressures on all businesses, measuring the value and quality of hire has now become more achievable and imperative than ever.

An ideal “quality of hire” metric would indicate how much value a new employee brings to the organisation in the short-term and long-term. This metric helps to determine hiring strategies and resourcing allocation, and eventually lead to a high-performing and well-allocated workforce over time. At an organisation-level, creating a quality of hire metric will enable the business leaders to understand the effectiveness of your recruiting process and prove its strategic value to stakeholders.

At an organisation-level, creating a quality of hire metric will enable the business leaders to understand the effectiveness of your recruiting process and prove its strategic value to stakeholders.”

So how do we actually measure the quality of hire? This metric seems almost unquantifiable and immense to measure at first – it needs to include a wide range of variables, from the short-term elements like speed and efficiency of hiring to long-term variables like performance, culture fit and meeting business goals – and all of these elements can be both extremely subjective and hard to quantify.

As always with these nebulous measurements, there’s no single or magic metric for all organisations. Each organisation’s measure will be different, for example, speed and efficiency in one industry might be considered incredibly long in another industry and vice versa.

Google Hire (2020) recommends this formula to organizations to help measure quality of hire:

Using the range of indicators that are most important in your given organisation or industry, setting the indicators to a scale of 0-100 and then calculating using the formula above goes some way to help you measure the quality of the hire. It will never be an all-inclusive and all-knowing metric but it can definitely lead you in the right direction in terms of identifying trends and gaps. Some examples of the indicators that could be used by organisations are: performance appraisal scores, employee retention, employee satisfaction, and traditional performance reviews.

Calculating the quality of hire metric, and determining the relevant indicators for your organisation can be a work-in-progress which is regularly tweaked or updated. This may take time and be a continuous project but we believe it can provide significant value to your business in many ways:

Cost – good hires save you money both in the short and long-term. There is lesser need for training, they can hit the ground running and as they are more suited for the role, they are likely to stay in the organisation for a longer-term. The cost of retention is lower than the cost of hire, due to the initial training costs pegged to a new employee’s learning curve within the organisation. The suitability of the employee for the organisation can drive employee satisfaction and the desire to stay with the organisation for a longer term.

Culture – a good hire can help to improve your company’s culture through positive enthusiasm for a role, which in turn serve as a morale booster for the workplace. Bad hires, on the other hand, can have an even more significant negative effect on a workplace by spreading discontent to other employees and increasing conflict.

More informed decision-making – Through the analysis of the various indicators, it provides a deeper insight into your organisation’s hiring strategy. It would be difficult to improve your hiring decisions without having the evidence and data to show the trends. Informed hiring decisions, prevent a waste of human and financial resources in the long term as companies are able to streamline and apply targeted and strategic hiring strategies for the right hire in this competitive market.

Measure the effectiveness of your recruitment technology – It can be hard to quantify the benefits of using recruitment technology. However, through “quality of hire” data collected, organizations can identify hiring and retention trends resulting from the implementation of new technology and prove the value of well optimized human resource technology to internal stakeholders, driving confidence and ensuring future buy-in.

Insights into the candidate experience – in this competitive hiring market, an impressive candidate experience can ensure you are securing the top talent. Measuring the quality of hire can highlight gaps in the candidate experience and also demonstrate a positive candidate experience where the quality of hire is high from commencement.

As can be seen from these benefits, it is important to use metrics from before and after the hire to determine the overall quality of hire. Pre-employment communication or assessments can be used as well as post-hire performance and reviews to give a holistic view of a new candidate.

The availability of SaaS ( Software as a Service) applications, machine learning and AI technology, allows recruiters and HR departments to be better equipped in the assessment of quality of hire.

As the hiring market continues to speed up, one must be conscious and proactive in researching and understanding your options when it comes to the quality of hire.

We, Sterling RISQ, are here to help. Get in touch with us today, to learn more about implementing quality of hire metrics at your organisation.

This article appears in our Q1 2020 Newsletter. Click here to get your copy today!

Don’t let anyone tell you that during the COVID-19 crisis it’s ok to assume more risk with your criminal background checks.

If you are hiring right now, you are moving fast. Clearing obstacles. Whether you are trying to get healthcare workers to the front lines or hiring delivery drivers to help people stay home, if you are reading about court closures and background check delays, you are getting nervous. You may be wondering if you’re going to be forced to lower your standards. Perhaps you’ll run a laxer background check for now, or run a check in a few months, when things are (hopefully) more normal? You don’t need to do that. I am here to tell you: Anyone who says you have to trade safety for speed right now is wrong.

OK, I imagine that you likely already know this if you’re reading this article, but lowering your standards for the screening programs you’ve established is enormously risky. If you’re sending a worker to a customer’s home, you need to know who they are. This is fundamental to doing right by your customers. It is also critical in protecting your own team’s safety and financial wellbeing, staving off lawsuits, and ultimately preserving a viable brand and business.

National Criminal Database: A Myth

Some screening providers are recommending that clients lean more heavily during these uncertain times on an “instant check,” or national criminal database search, but that’s sort of like putting on a helmet before a bike ride but not buckling it. A national criminal database search is a logical starting point, and in fact can help expand the footprint of a search beyond just address history. However, there is no comprehensive “National Criminal Database” — a single database containing all the criminal records in the United States does not exist. It is a myth. No database covers every county, and some databases don’t even cover every state. The result is incomplete, sometimes outdated information, and the potential for false positives. Courts are the most authoritative source of criminal records.

Leveraging expertise and relationships to fulfill checks

Courts are closed, though, right? Yes, and this means that there are some screening providers that can’t fulfill checks at all in more than 400 courthouses across the country, including major cities like Chicago, or the entire state of New Jersey. But “closed” doesn’t mean the same thing to Sterling. Because of our relationships with the courts and the technology we’ve built with them, in most cases Sterling has electronic access to records. We can keep screening, whether courts are closed after hours or in more extreme circumstances like today. In fact, despite widespread court closures we are still fulfilling background checks in over 95% of US jurisdictions.

So you will not see us marketing a special criminal background check package that allows you to skip counties where courts are closed. Even with our expansive footprint, there are going to be times when the court record you need is simply not available to anyone. When that happens, what you will get from Sterling is a conversation about how to handle it for your company — not an excuse telling you why that’s ok. We will continue to offer the quality screening our clients have come to expect from us for 45 years. And our teams of experts — who know your vertical, your business — are here (virtually, of course) to help navigate the uncertainties of the current moment.

These are tough times. But if you’re hesitating about hiring because you don’t think you can screen safely, think again. And don’t feel pressure to trade fast hiring for safe hiring. It’s a tradeoff you simply don’t have to make.

This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.

Message from Elizabeth Fitzell, Managing Director APAC, Sterling RISQ

Let me start by extending my hope that you, your family, your friends and your colleagues are safe and well.

The impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis have been felt far and wide, and Sterling RISQ has been no stranger to those impacts. In these strange and uncertain times, all our staff have moved to working from home, and we must now find new ways of working, communicating and adapting to the new normal.

I have been extremely proud of the way our team has adapted and stayed flexible to this ever-changing situation so far. We are hearing similar stories from many of our clients and colleagues throughout the globe and we have enjoyed sharing ideas and technological solutions with other organisations.

We are finding that this difficult time makes it especially important for our team to strengthen our bonds and really connect as fellow human beings even though we may be physically separated. One thing I personally keep coming back to is the Sterling RISQ credo: making the world a safer place – it’s all about people. Nothing could be more relevant for the current situation.

People are the one unifier – there are people at risk, but there are also people actively making a positive difference, and all people can work together to make the world a safer place. Whether we look at frontline health professionals working long hours to assist those in need, customer service staff at local supermarkets, neighbours helping each other out, or simply individuals who are opting to stay indoors and abide by the social distancing and isolation rules imparted by health experts, we can all do our part to help prevent further spread of the virus and save lives.

It is of the utmost importance to me to keep our people safe and healthy, and to enable our clients to do the same. We continue to communicate with you, our clients regularly, and it’s clear that different industries are impacted in different ways – some have understandably implemented hiring freezes, while others like healthcare, technology and supermarkets are rapidly hiring to keep up with increasing demand.

We are here for you in whatever situation you face – whether it’s a pause on your needs and assistance in picking back up when the situation has eased, or to partner with you during current high demand to ensure you are hiring efficiently and hiring the right people for your business. We are here for you and we want to talk to you about your needs.

The best way to survive a situation such as the current one is together. So, as we all look toward an uncertain but ever-connected future, please remember we are here for you if you need us. Simply give us a call or email info@sterlingrisq.com and we’ll be in touch.

By now, identity theft is something we are all very familiar with. When cybercriminals and other thieves steal our personal information to reap various benefits such as forging passports, ID cards or simply to steal our money, we have learned how to safeguard our personal information. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in a different kind of identity theft, here in Singapore.

The identity theft in discussion goes hand in hand with the forging and faking of credentials. You may wonder why people would think it was even possible to pass themselves off as someone they are not or to suggest that they had achieved qualifications they did not, but that’s what people have done. And they’ve done it successfully.

Let’s take a look at some recent cases.

Trump Administration Member Mina Chang

Back in November 2019, Mina Chang resigned after allegations were leveled at her that she had embellished her resume and even, rather incredibly, faked a Time magazine cover to secure the job. The 35 year-old claims she studied in West Point and was an alumna from Harvard who also took part in a UN panel about drones.

The truth is, it appears she did attend a short Harvard Business School course, and students can refer to themselves as alumni. However, she did not pass a degree course at the renowned university. Had her fake credentials not come to light, Ms. Chang would possibly have worked within the US Agency for International Development overseeing the organization’s work in Asia with a budget of $1bn.

Man Alters Polytechnic Transcript and Submits False Documents to UniSIM

Closer to home, in Singapore, Kieffer Tay Kai Xian has been found to have submitted forged documents and doctored polytechnic transcripts to try land a coveted place on a course at Singapore Institute of Management University, which later became the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

For one transcript from Temasek Polytechnic, he changed his overall grade point average to 2.76 from 1.76 in the hopes of increasing his chances of being accepted onto a UniSIM finance course. Even after the university realized it was doctored and rejected it, he persisted and tried again. The result? He has been ordered to pay a fine of S$5,500. Both he and his father maintain that he was driven to do it by the pressure and stress his mother placed on him to get a place in a good university.

Greek Junior Cabinet Minister Resigns After Columbia Degree Lie

In another part of the world – Greece, where a junior member of the center-right government cabinet resigned in December after it was discovered that he had not received a degree from Columbia University studies he took part on, as noted on his resume. Although he did attend numerous lectures  at Columbia University, he did not manage to complete the degree because of financial difficulties.

South Australian Government Staffer Faked Resume With a Supermodel Pic

Lastly, we come to the very peculiar and alarming case of Veronica Theriault, who recently pleaded guilty to dishonesty and deception charges, after it was discovered she used a fake resume and even enlisted the unwitting help of supermodel Kate Upton to get a high ranking job. The fake resume, which included a falsified reference written by her brother, helped her to land the position of Chief Information Officer within the Department of Premier and Cabinet from May to August of 2017. Suffering from Bipolar Disorder, she had also used a picture of Kate Upton on her LinkedIn profile.

As hilarious as it is that someone would think using a heavily circulated picture of Kate Upton or claim that they completed a degree they didn’t, would be successful, the worrying thing is that it worked.

The discrepancies in these cases were only discovered post hire and even in positions of power.. This problem outlines just how crucial it is to have a robust and comprehensive screening and vetting process in place whenever you are hiring new members of staff.

Sterling RISQ is an industry leader in employment background checks and performs screening programs with your candidates in mind. Contact us to learn more about how Sterling RISQ can help uncover falsified candidate profiles and minimise risks through our unique client case management model enabled by state-of-the-art technology.

This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.