Last Updated on October 16, 2023 by G. T. HR

Updated May 17, 2023

By MyHRScreens

Summer and Volunteer Candidates Need To Be Thoroughly Vetted.

Spring has sprung and schools have come to the end of their academic year. This means that the hustle and bustle of Summer planning begins! For organizations and activities that thrive on the increase in summer businesses, this will likely mean adding summer and volunteer staff to handle those needs.

Some of the areas that may need more staff include:

• Summer camps
• Daycares
• Faith-based summer programs
• Summer internships
• Recreation/sports organizations
• Medical facility temporary or volunteer positions
  
  

We need people, so… what’s the risk of hiring in a hurry?

Although filling those summer and volunteer staff openings often follows a sense of urgency, it’s important not to cut corners and skip the employee background screening step. Failure to perform compliant background screening can lead to legal and financial setbacks.

Some risks of not doing background checks on your summer and volunteer (and permanent) candidates include:

1.  You could hire a criminal. If you don’t do a pre-employment background check, you might end up hiring someone who has a criminal history.
   
   
2.  You could hire someone who isn’t qualified.  When you don’t check a person’s past work experiences or where they received their degrees from, you have no way to verify whether or not the person applying for the job has the ability to actually do it once hired. You may end up hiring someone who is not qualified for the job.
   
   
3.  Your organization could lose revenue. These background checks serve as a defensive tool for your company’s safety and success. The quality of employees has a large impact on whether you operate successfully. Also in this age of social media, the rate at which information can be shared regarding a negligent volunteer hire can cause donors and sponsors to walk away.
   
   
   

Hiring and screening seasonal employees carefully can ensure safety for all involved.

Prevent a negligent hiring accusation.

When an employer fails to conduct an adequate pre-employment investigation — including, as circumstances warrant, reference checks, post-employment verifications, credit checks, and criminal record checks — that employer risks the potential for negligent hiring liability for injuries caused by a disruptive or violent employee to third parties, such as customers, clients, suppliers, visitors, or others, as well as other employees.

The Best Practices To Hire For These Seasonal Positions

Always use safe hiring practices for ALL candidates (including temporary, seasonal, etc.)
The best practice for protecting your business and preventing worker risks when hiring is by running background checks on all employees, no matter how long their employment will be. Employers will ensure their reputation of a safe, secure work environment if they have screened qualified employees. Background checks are a must-do final step to ensure smart hiring and protect employers from possible legal risk.

For detailed questions about employee screening, let MyHRScreens help. Contact klewis@myhrscreens.com today to ask questions or an appointment below.