Temporary, contingent, and contract workers hereafter temp workers currently make up more than one-quarter of the entire workforce population—up nearly 20% since 2018.
Temp workers are often brought in to fill in for someone who is on leave or provide an extra hand during a busy season. Temp workers are not considered permanent employees that stay long-term which often leads hiring managers exempting them from background checks and drug screening in an effort to save money.
A large number of companies engage staffing agencies to manage fluctuating staffing needs or to preview temp workers before hiring. While there are benefits to companies for using staffing agencies, there are also risks, liabilities, and potential costs that should be considered. Many employers wrongly assume, “The responsibility for screening temporary workers rests with the placing organization—the staffing agency”. The fact is. “ The employer is responsible for ensuring a work environment free from harassment and discrimination, even for temp workers”.
Furthermore, many organizations wrongly assume that when a staffing agency says they’re doing background checks on their workers, they’re doing a thorough or accurate job. If an employer chooses to rely on background checks that are lacking in completeness or fail to conform to best practices for accuracy and fairness, that employer is putting themselves at unnecessary risk.
Laborchex will work with your staffing agency of choice to help your organization mitigate this risk when employing temp workers. We believe it is imperative to establish a consistent and compliant approach to background screening with your entire workforce.
Laborchex offers a full array of the pre-employment screening and drug testing services. To learn more, call 1-800-880-0366 or visit us at our website www.laborchex.com
Contributed by Ricky Rayborn of Laborchex
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