The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented situation impacting nearly every industry, and the world we live in today is very different from what it was just a few months ago. Not only has the workplace changed rapidly overnight, but this viral event has affected nearly every facet of life. While organizations have already been managing teams working in different offices and locations, working from home has now become a reality for many businesses.

Managing a remote workforce can bring a new element to familiar challenges such as engagement, communication, leading, and productivity, especially for new team members. Specifically, the onboarding process is even more critical for remote workers because their interactions and relationships are harder to establish, build, grow, and evolve. 

In a world where remote work is becoming the new normal, here are a few areas where partnering with an experienced background screening firm such as PreCheck, a Cisive company, can help you optimize your onboarding processes. 

Leverage Onboarding Technology to Provide a Better Experience

The right onboarding technology tools can improve the experience for both human resources departments as well as candidates and new employees. As the competition for top talent escalates, there will always be a reason to improve the candidate experience. An optimized candidate experience can make a big impact in determining whether your organization meets its hiring goals. Today, businesses have several options with leveraging technology to deliver the best candidate experience.

When selecting the right onboarding tool, it is key to select a user interface that is simple, task-oriented, and works with your organization’s internal workflow. PreCheck’s background screening solution, for example, provides a real-time view into the status of current and past background checks and offers a customizable dashboard that enables HR teams to easily manage tasks associated with the screening process.

Initiate Common Pre-Hire and Onboarding Activities Online

Before your organization can hire a new employee, whether for remote or onsite work, there are several screenings, assessments, and forms that need to be completed. If your organization uses an applicant tracking system (ATS), integrating it with your background screening provider can streamline the process. With PreCheck, for example, an integration can help your HR department initiate the background check process without leaving your ATS interface.

If a drug test is required as part of your pre-employment screening policy, an electronic Chain of Custody (eCOC) drug testing process can help remote candidates complete this requirement and locate a collection site that is most convenient for them. With PreCheck’s drug testing solution, clients can receive rapid drug test results in real time and notification of expired events and no-show donors. 

Facilitate Form I-9 Completion with Electronic I-9 Software

The Form I-9 is a time-sensitive document that must be completed by the third business day of an employee’s hire date, but employers can actually start the I-9 process as soon as they accept an offer for employment. Take advantage of this extra time and consider using an electronic system capable of handling I-9s for remote hires, such as PreCheck’s Electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solution, I-9Ensure. Using an electronic I-9 system can assist your company in maintaining compliance even when you use an authorized representative who is not familiar with I-9s. This is accomplished by properly walking users through each step of the process and alerting them to any potential errors as they complete the form.

Enable Document Uploads from Mobile Devices

In today’s ever-connected world, mobile devices are always on hand. Not everyone may have easy access to a scanner but almost everyone has a smart phone. By enabling candidates to upload important documents from their mobile devices, HR can accelerate the onboarding process by allowing candidates to use the tools they already have. PreCheck's immunization and health record management system, for example, provides a fast and easy way for candidates to securely send virtually any supporting documentation required during the background screening process—from immunization records to licenses and identification documents. When selecting a document upload tool, ensure it offers encryption technology to keep candidates’ information secure.

Mitigate Fraud with Ongoing Exclusion Screening

As a healthcare organization, exclusion screening is an important part of the onboarding process that extends to remote hires as well. Since 2013, the Officer of Inspector General (OIG) set monthly as the industry standard for the frequency of exclusion screening. In addition to conducting an exclusion check at time of hire, therefore, ensure that your organization is conducting exclusion screening at least once a month to minimize risk and fraud. PreCheck's SanctionCheck solution, for example, can help automate this tedious task for healthcare compliance departments while conducting high quality and in-depth investigations.

While the world embraces remote work, companies and their HR departments can rely on the latest technology to ensure the onboarding process for remote hires remains seamless, compliant, and free of fraud.