There are many excellent reasons to look into potential and current employee public records. Naturally, you want honest employees for your business' sake, but there have also been cases in which businesses paid high costs because they unknowingly hired dishonest employees. In one case, for example, burglars who murdered a homeowner turned out to be employees of a carpet cleaning service the homeowner had hired. In court, the carpet cleaning company was accused of "negligent hiring" and paid $11 million in damages because the burglars had criminal backgrounds.

There are various levels of background checks, each requiring a different investment of time and money. Employers shouldn't skimp on background checks, but it also makes sense to invest in employee public records according to the job. For example, a thorough background check is in order for anyone who'll be working around children or in customers' homes, but a minimal to medium-level check makes sense for many other employees. With that in mind, consider these possible ways to look into employee public records:

1. Use free information on employee public records.
2. Pay for medium-level employee public records research.
3. Hire a pro to conduct thorough employee public records research.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose free employee and criminal background checks

It is always free to look at court and public record office paperwork, either online or in person, but these records aren't always accurate. Still, for potential employees whose jobs warrant only cursory looks at their backgrounds, this is a viable option. As with all types of background checks, keep records (notes and printouts) of your attempts to look into employees' backgrounds.

I recommend: SherlockRecords.com offers both free background checks and paid, medium-level background checks; for more information, click on the box describing the service you need. Abika.com allows you to search criminal records and sex offenders list, conduct address searches on individuals and look for liens, judgments and lawsuits on businesses, all for free.

Pay for mid-level info on public records

There are many online services offering more advanced information on court record searches, employment history records, bankruptcy records, criminal reports and similar information. Again, the details have the potential to be inaccurate or incomplete. Also, be sure to check your state's laws about what sort of information you, as an employer, may pay to discover about a potential or current employee.

I recommend: For a modest fee, CriminalData does criminal background searches on potential employees. IntegraScan offers a free preliminary search, and then a paid service for instant results on such things as criminal records, address histories, judgments, bankruptcies, tax liens and more.

Hire an investigator to conduct a thorough employee public records research

For high-level positions or positions in which dishonest employees could seriously harm your customers or your business, an exhaustive search is probably in order. Private investigators usually begin with public records and do further research when red flags appear. There are bogus agencies out there, however, so if a PI won't tell you where he or she got the information, or says the information is 'proprietary,' find another agency.

I recommend: Advanced Surveillance Group conducts exhaustive background checks through private investigators, as does Investigative Professionals.

By searching for employee public records basics, a business can filter out any potential problem employees. If you can determine the specifics of a potential or existing employee’s history through public records, it can be a big advantage for your human resources department. Most employees are honest about their past, but this is not something you want to leave to chance. It only takes one bad employee to permanently damage a company’s reputation.

The employee public records basics can also give you an idea of how to implement a program to use these records to your company's benefit. Of course, it's up to each company to determine if the information on employee public records yields data that would result in termination or a non-hire. The type of job responsibilities will also dictate the threshold for employment history records and criminal background checks. Therefore, before you conduct any employee public records research there are few items to consider:

1. Know the regulations that protect an employee’s info on public records.

2. Establish the most reliable sources of the various public records.

3. Hire a consultant for high-level positions that require thorough employee public records research.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Understand how you can use personal and criminal background checks

Employees have certain protections under the law and it's up to your company to follow these guidelines. It can get more complicated depending in which state your company's headquartered. For instance, California is a state in which the employees have the most rights to privacy. Before you conduct any court record searches, be sure to know these rules and regulations.

I recommend: Examine the small business guide to employee privacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Review the article from ALM Properties on how to conduct a proper background check.

Try the various avenues to obtain employee public records

The cheapest method to attain public records is through the courts or other public agencies. However, these entities may not keep the most accurate records. Another option is to employ bulk rate background check companies. While not as thorough as their more expensive counterparts, they do offer more accuracy and detail than the free court records search.

I recommend: Utilize the services of Public Record Finder to obtain public information on your employees for free. Then there's a low cost bulk search option available at Criminal Data.

Employ the services of a professional for a executive employment history records check

If your company is hiring a minimum wage worker, then an exhaustive may not be the most cost option. If you conducted this type of search for every employee, it would negatively affect your cash flow. However, for employees at higher levels of the business, a thorough background and felony check is necessary. These employees can influence the business in a meaningful way and their validity shouldn't be in question.

I recommend: Use the services of the Investigative Professionals to conduct thorough research. Contact the investigators at the Advanced Surveillance Group.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before hiring a company to conduct the checking of criminal backgrounds, make sure to verify its legitimacy. In other words, do a background check with the Better Business Bureau on any company you hire to search public records on your company's behalf.

Searching through employee public records has become a standard part of the hiring process. HR managers naturally want confirmation that an applicant does not have a criminal record and has not otherwise lied about their personal and professional background. Whether you perform the pre-employment screening yourself or hire the services of a professional agency, you'll facilitate your department's hiring process when you learn key facts and terms related to employee public records.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Screening packages

The term 'screening packages' refers to the different kinds of employee background checks businesses can order from professional screening agencies.

I recommend: Criminal Data helps you understand what is involved in each of the most common employee background checks screening packages. For example, find out the different searches done for general labor employees and support staff employees.

Reportable offense

As part of most pre-employment screenings, a criminal records search is done to identify whether the applicant has a reportable offense on his record.

I recommend: ASG provides more information on reportable offenses.

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is the government office whose duties include monitoring international criminals and suspected terrorists.

I recommend: MacData Advantage identifies the jurisdictions it searches through when performing an OFAC search as part of its employee screening. The purpose of the search is to identify whether a job applicant's name appears on the FBI Most Wanted List or an international list of fugitives. Understand more about the mission of OFAC by accessing The United States Department of Treasury website.

Reverse search

A reverse search refers to a search through employee public records that depends on limited information.

I recommend: People Records explains how a reverse search fits into the comprehensive employee background search most agencies perform. Find out how you can perform a complete employee public records search with no more than a license plate number.

Public Records Law and Employee Information

Some states have enacted Public Records Law and Employee Information regulations that specify which public records businesses may search through and the procedures they must follow in doing so.

I recommend: The library at the University of Florida presents the full text version of the state's Public Records Law and Employee Information act. Refer to this act when you want more details on how to perform searches that confirm employee identification and salary history.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

The Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA, puts certain limits on any search through employee public records.

I recommend: Learn what the FCRA is and how it was started at The Public Records.