Criminal Background Check for Employers—What You Need to Know

May 24 2023

A criminal background check for employers ensures you’re creating a safe workplace. A criminal background check shows a person’s convictions, arrest warrants, outstanding charges, and other criminal records.

This information ensures an applicant doesn’t pose a risk to the company, employers, co-workers, or clients.

That being said, there’s important information to know before making criminal background checks a part of your pre-employment screening process.

What Employers Need to Know About Criminal Background Checks

Firstly, criminal background checks for employers are legal in Canada. That being said, in many provinces, it is illegal to refuse employment based on a criminal conviction unless you can demonstrate it is directly related to their ability to do the job.

That’s why employers should clearly establish what they’re looking for. What are the job’s duties and what sort of convictions could be red flags? For instance, in the financial industry, a candidate with a history of fraud would be a liability.

Secondly, you must obtain a candidate’s consent before performing a criminal background check. You should be transparent here about what you’re looking for and why it’s relevant to the position.

Third, it is illegal to single out an individual candidate for a criminal background check. That’s why it’s best to request one after a job offer has been presented. It should be part of the final due diligence.

Finally, if a candidate requests to see the results of a criminal background check, they are entitled to see them.

Criminal Background Check for Employers With Industry-Leading Turnaround Times

If you need to perform criminal background checks regularly for your applicants, Triton will make the process secure, easy, and fast. We will get you the results you need in under 15 minutes, an industry standard. And because we use RCMP guidelines, you can be confident the information is accurate.

See for yourself. Call 1-855-832-5891 or visit our website to request a demo.