Lyft Potential Example of Continuous Background Screening Best Practice; Opines CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

Lyft Potential Example of Continuous Background Screening Best Practice; Opines CriminalBackgroundRecords.com

The rideshare company Lyft has recently faced legal challenges regarding sexual assault. Inadequate background checks are cited as one of the core problems regarding Lyft’s hiring practices.

From CBSNews.com (Sep 05, 19):

Fourteen women who said they were raped or sexually assaulted by Lyft drivers are suing the ride-hail company. The suit claims Lyft mishandled their complaints against drivers, in some cases allowing the drivers to continue working following the alleged assaults.

In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in San Francisco, the anonymous women claim the app does not do enough to stop drivers from assaulting passengers. They allege Lyft fails to adequately perform background checks, does not communicate with victims after they accuse drivers of sexual assault, and does not have adequate technology in place to protect passengers. ⁽¹⁾

Adam Almeida, President and CEO of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com opines: “Lyft started using continuous background checks as part of their prevention policy and this may prove advantageous. Continuous background checks are a growing trend in background screening.”

From BusinessInsider.com (Sep 10, 19):

Tuesday's announcements add to previous safety features that have been part of Lyft's app for some time, like continuous criminal background checks that flag any drivers who may turn up in databases following their initial hiring, and location sharing. ⁽²⁾

Continuous background checks are increasing in popularity and could be an important addition to any companies’ background screening policy.

From HRTechnologist.com (Jul 22, 19):

While facts like education credentials and employment information remain constant throughout an employee’s career, criminal records, driving records, and credit reports can change. As organizations place talent at the core of their growth strategy, ensuring that they have the right talent is now more important than ever. With workplace harassment, embezzlement, and fraud triggering concerns about the quality of the existing workforce’s character, employers are keen on continuous monitoring. ⁽³⁾

Almeida adds: “Continuous background screening would keep an employer well informed, but the frequency in which one can conduct such a background check is a gray area. A best practice would be to work with a well-qualified third-party background screening company in order to remain compliant with existing law.”

Unfortunately, the trend has proven slow to catch on. While the reasoning is sound, the adaptation has lagged behind.

From SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management, (Apr. 08, 19):

The trend hasn't caught on among most companies yet, though, as only 4 percent of 6,500 HR professionals said that their organizations perform continuous, rolling background checks on their employees, according to a survey conducted in July 2018 and released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) today…⁽⁴⁾

Almeida concludes: “Companies follow trends and with Uber and now Lyft conducting post-hire background checks others will follow. Certainly, a best practice remains that companies work with a well-qualified third-party background screening agency in order to understand continuous background checks (post-hire) and the value they may represent.”

CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a third-party background screening company, member of PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) and advocate of SHRM that can provide compliant solutions for all screening requirements. From pre-employment to post-hire screening, as well as volunteer, caregiver and nanny checks, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com provides background screening services across a broad array of industries. From the smallest organization to the largest corporation, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com can fulfill every background screening requirement.

Links:

1. cbsnews.com/news/lyft-lawsuit-14-women-file-lawsuit-after-drivers-allegedly-sexually-assaulted-them/
2. businessinsider.com/lyft-drivers-required-to-take-safety-training-after-attacks-lawsuit-2019-9
3. hrtechnologist.com/articles/background-verification/what-is-continuous-background-screening/
4. shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/shrm-trend-continuous-background-screening.aspx

This has been a CriminalBackgroundRecords.com News Publication - All rights reserved
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is “An Information Enterprises Solution”