In the employment background screening industry, a lot is expected: employers need to make an employment decision quickly, reports must be accurate, and personal information must be handled properly and securely. A consumer reporting agency (CRA) must comply with numerous federal, state, and local legal requirements.
Best intentions don’t guarantee success, however. A CRA must first assemble processes, technology, employees, and vendors to achieve gold-standard accuracy, turnaround time, data security, vendor performance, and compliance. An organization must have the proper mechanisms to verify that what is supposed to happen is actually happening.
Where Variation Enters Employment Background Screening
Background screening involves numerous processes, data sources, jurisdictions, researchers, technology systems, and third-party providers. Each step introduces an opportunity for variation. Inspection takes many forms: internal audits, management reviews, vendor monitoring, file sampling, records review, employee observations, and performance metrics.
The objective is not simply to find mistakes. An effective quality program should not be viewed as a “gotcha” exercise. Its greatest value comes from creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Without regularly measuring performance against those expectations, leadership may not recognize declining performance until clients express concerns and consumer disputes are received. The goal is to find non-conformities proactively before they become larger problems. An effective quality program must identify opportunities for continuous improvement and take corrective action to prevent the same non-conformity from occurring again.
Look Beyond the Individual Error
When a problem is identified, organizations should look beyond the individual error and ask why it occurred. Was the procedure unclear? Was additional training needed? Did technology contribute to the issue? Was a vendor failing to meet expectations? Could another control have detected the problem sooner?
Employees should know what is expected of them. Vendors should understand the standards they are required to meet. Management should have objective information showing whether those expectations are being achieved.
Trust Requires Proof
In employment background screening, trust is essential. Clients rely on screening providers to deliver information that may influence important employment decisions. Maintaining that trust requires organizations to do more than establish high standards.
“Inspect what you expect” ultimately represents more than an audit strategy. It creates a philosophy of accountability. A “Plan, Do, Check, Act” process is how expectations become consistent performance, how improvement is achieved, and how a commitment to quality becomes something an organization can demonstrate and celebrate.
