In today’s hiring environment, criminal background checks are completed almost universally. But the background checks themselves are neither universally equal nor universally effective.

A May 2019 BuzzFeed News article by correspondent Rosalind Adams, A Lyft Driver With a Criminal Record Was Charged With Rape. So Why Was He Even Behind the Wheel?, exposes the serious problems that arise when a business contracts a background check company that sacrifices accuracy for speed. Third–party background check companies are an invisible player in the business world, and an integral part of how thousands of establishments hire their staff, employees, volunteers, and contractors. The dominant background screening player in the U.S. accounts for millions of background checks each year, but is also the subject of hundreds of lawsuits accusing them of failures and errors, the results of which range from disqualifying worthy candidates from a job to putting dangerous criminals in customer–facing positions where they harm the people they are supposed to work for.

Sadly, the cases Adams references are merely a few examples of damages and severe, traumatic personal injury that can occur when background checks aren’t completed safely, thoroughly, and accurately. After receiving treatment, the victim in the Lyft case went on to sue the company in 2017, stating that a properly conducted background check could have protected her. A court filing details the plaintiff’s claims against Lyft and the background check company: negligence, negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention, and fraud against Lyft; and negligence against the background check company.

In the realm of background screening, rush jobs come with dangerous and costly consequences. While the ability to work at a fast pace is important, there is no question that inaccurate work loses its value.

In promoting themselves as “fast” or promising “fast results,” screening companies are perpetuating a misunderstanding about how background checks are conducted. All background screening companies rely on outside sources, including schools, previous employers, employment verification databases, credit reporting bureaus, national criminal background and sex offender registries, U.S. district courthouses, and state and county records to complete searches. For any company, accessing these records can take between two days and two weeks. The only part of the process that can be completed with fast results is checking these records, which is how and when mistakes happen.

For any business, choosing an accurate background check company is crucial. All employment screening companies are not created equally. The right background check company balances both speed and accuracy, protects employees and clients from victimization, and safeguards companies from costly and reputation-tarnishing litigation, serving as a support system and web of safety.

The right background check company cares about getting background checks done correctly, not just getting them done.