Why Screening Contractors Is Critical to Your Operations

Background Screening | September 15, 2021

When your organization works with contractors and vendor networks, you need a reliable solution to ensure that your customers are safe and that your organization is protected from reputational, operational, and legal risks. Background screening contractors is a necessary part of any contractor compliance program.

When your organization utilizes a service network to deliver products and services to your customers, you provide your customers with the skilled individuals required to get the job done. The customer, however, doesn’t see these contractors as a different entity, they see them as part of your organization and therein lies the risk.

PlusOne Solutions has the contractor compliance services you need to ensure that your customers are safe in their homes and workplaces by offering comprehensive screening solutions for your contracted service network.

Why Screening Contractors is Critical to Your Operations 

It Protects Your Customers

The majority of consumers assume that any service network contractors that they allow into their homes and workplaces have been properly background screened. In a recent study, over 90% of consumers reported that they believed these in-home service contractors had been background screened and carried worker’s compensation and liability insurance. 

Being able to prove, track and establish standards for those background screens is a critical responsibility that your organization controls. While there is never a guarantee that background screening will prevent certain circumstances, it will ensure that your organization is practicing risk mitigation to reduce the likelihood that your customers will be exposed to violent criminals, sex offenders, illicit drug users, and other bad actors with prior criminal records. It will also ensure that your organization has a suitable answer to what due diligence has been demonstrated with respect to validating who is representing your organization and conducting work on your behalf. 

The comprehensive background screening strategy that PlusOne Solutions provides for screening contractors utilizes multiple tools to keep your organization and customers safe. These tools include:

• Criminal background checks
• Continuous criminal monitoring
• Drug testing
• Motor vehicle reports
• Badging

It Protects Your Reputation

In the age of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it is almost impossible for issues related to your organization to go unnoticed. When your organization uses a contingent workforce, from your customers’ perspective, those contractors are representative of your company. Even if your contractors and vendors are not directly employed by your organization, they are still operating on your behalf and their actions will be attributed back to you.

While there can never be a total elimination of risk, if something unfortunate were to happen and your contractor was at fault, being able to show due diligence and present a compliance program and contract that shows the steps your organization took to prevent such an occurrence may help protect your organization from liability. Consumers and the general public can understand mistakes but complete failure to protect against those mistakes, or put more simply, taking no action and hoping for the best, is not acceptable. 

It Protects You from Legal Liability

If the worst-case scenario were to occur and your organization has not been properly screening contractors, it can leave your organization exposed to legal claims. Customers who were involved may pursue civil, or even criminal, litigation against both your contractor and your organization, and if you are able to prove that steps were taken to prevent the circumstances, it may remove, or even reduce, your liability.

Having documented requirements and contracts with your service network, which outlines your expectations for screening is important. Offering them a partnered program, that you can monitor for compliance, is even better. It ensures that your organization has visibility to the status of your network, can make risk-based decisions on where to assign work and partner, and demonstrates active involvement in protecting your consumer. 

Is Your Organization Screening Contractors?

For more than 15 years, PlusOne Solutions has been providing the compliance solutions that our clients need to ensure that their contingent workforce has been thoroughly vetted. Our team works directly with you to screen your contractors and vendors expertly, precisely, and efficiently. Contact us today to discuss the right compliance solutions for your organization.

Contents are provided for information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Users are reminded to seek legal counsel with respect to their obligations and use of PlusOne Solutions services.

About PlusOne Solutions

PlusOne Solutions has been an industry leader in the risk management field by specializing in compliance programs that meet the complex challenges of geographically dispersed contractors, vendors, and employee networks.

PlusOne Solutions protects companies from possible financial, legal, and reputational risks associated with contractor and vendor relationships while creating safer work environments. To learn more, visit https://www.PlusOneSolutions.net.