Thorough background checks should be performed on temps and consultants

Consultants, part-time and temporary employees pose a threat to a company especially if they haven't received a thorough background screening, The Modesto Bee reports. MBO Partners of Herndon, Virginia, conducted a study that found approximately 16 million Americans work on their own, such as a contractor and consultant. These workers are employed 15 hours per week or more and 70 percent of them are hired by a company because of their "expertise" in a certain field, the study finds. MBO suggests that by the end of 2013, the number of such employees could increase to 21 million. When any newcomer approaches a company, especially for hire, the human resources department should conduct an in-depth background check, but Hireright's 2011 Employment Screening Benchmarking Report states alarming statistics. According to its survey, merely 52 percent of 1,800 HR and security respondents don't conduct a background screen for criminal activity. MBO CEO Gene Zaino stated that organizations should screen every worker, temporary or full. "[If a company] isn’t caring enough to do an appropriate background check, I’d go look for a different company, because you don’t want to be exposed to people who are unethical or who cause physical harm," Zaino said to the news source.