Do You Need a Background Check for a Freelancer?

Background Check for FreelancerBackground checks have become standard practice for most successful businesses to hire the best possible employees. Historically, company-hired employees were primarily targeted for background checks. But as times and work needs have changed, nearly 90% of employers have also decided to add freelancers and other contracted or temporary workers to their background check protocol. But why and when should you consider running a background check for a freelancer?

Potential Differences and Liability Issues

The past or personal background of a temporary, contracted, or freelance employee shouldn’t bite them like it can for a permanent employee within your company. However, certain issues may affect your working conditions and their fit within the business environment or set reputation. A social media background check can uncover potentially inflammatory or offensive content that goes against your company’s image or entire purpose for that matter. Many freelancers make a decent living by providing services that don’t require background dives or dig too deeply into past mistakes or behaviors. But there are situations in which the behaviors or actions of your chosen freelancer or contractual employee can put your business or permanent employees at risk. Conducting a background check for a freelancer in those specific cases can help ensure everyone stays safe while you’re hiring the best person for the job at hand.

Financial Issues, Liens, or Legal Judgments

Debt is an American pandemic creating a national loss of over $14.6 trillion. According to Experian, that number grew $800 billion between 2019 and 2021, and the average household is almost $90,500 in debt right now. Asking for personal financial information from an employee or potential worker is risky and often taboo in this day and age… unless the job involves money itself or includes financial tasks and responsibilities. You’ll definitely want to run a financial-based background check on a freelancer that works in an accounting role, with legal tender for any reason, or even for contractors and other laborers that accept or otherwise handle money directly. The right checks can disclose previous or current liens as well as legal judgments that you might not have caught before opening a claim to retrieve your money for uncompleted work or mishandled performance. If such a contracted worker or freelancer refuses to agree to a financial background check, there may be a good reason for that. In other words, they may be hiding some shady or previously illegal issues on their part.

Competitive Practices

Variety is the spice of life, and in many business practices that include competition between similar companies. However, some businesses suffer due to competitive practices, especially when employees get involved. There’s nothing wrong with working in or with different companies within the same niche or industry in most cases. That’s how most freelancers and contracted workers keep their lights on. But unfair practices like selling company secrets or sharing privileged information with similar businesses can seriously affect your bottom line. Your intuition can often tell if there’s something more you need to find out about an applicant. Fortunately, our expert private investigators can get the answers you need in a jiffy.