Re: Background Checks Revisited

["Basgen, Brian" <bbasgen () PIMA EDU>]

 Interesting question. We use background checks as one means to identify qualified job candidates. 

 I'm not sure it would be constructive to revisit your previous hiring process. After all, while it may not have been 
as thorough, it presumably was a reasonable enough process to staff your organization to date. Performance reviews 
wouldn't work either, because the goal there is current job performance.

 One way you could do this is a process of annual background checks, as Michael Johnson just suggested. Another method 
could be a re-org of the particular work unit. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian Basgen
Information Security
Pima Community College
Office: 520-206-4873


-----Original Message-----
From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Volz, 
Donald D
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 11:36 AM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: [SECURITY] Background Checks Revisited

Apologies to those of you who see this question on multiple lists.

I checked several EDUCAUSE discussion list archives and found a few earlier threads on the topic of employee background 
checks.  It appeared that MOST respondents performed checks on prospective IT employees, and quite a few indicated that 
ALL new hires were subject to such tests, regardless of department or job position.  

However, I did not get any insight about the use of background checks on existing employees, i.e., those hired before 
background checks became a requirement for employment.  Obviously there are non-trivial legal and policy considerations 
surrounding the institutional response to the results of those checks, but I'd like to set those aside for the moment 
and focus on who is subject to background checks. 

My questions are simple:

1) Does anyone perform background checks on existing employees hired prior to the implementation of such checks for new 
hires?  

2) If yes, are they performed only to address individual employee situations or circumstances? If so, please explain.

3) Are you planning to complete such checks on ALL or some key subset(s) of your existing employees (e.g., all IT 
employees, staff only, all cashiers, all faculty and staff, ...)?    


Regards,
Don
______________________________________________
 
Don Volz
Special Assistant to the VP for Information Technology
Texas State University-San Marcos
Email: don.volz () txstate edu
Voice: 512-245-9650
FAX: 512-245-1226