Ridesharing Company Announces Continuous Screening on Drivers

As part of a safety and security overhaul, a ridesharing company recently announced that it is expanding its background screening policies to include continuous and annual screening of its employees.

The announcement comes after increased reports of driver violence and unsafe behavior that have plagued the company over the past several years, culminating in an investigation launched in April 2018 that uncovered over one hundred incidents of sexual assault and abuse reported by passengers over a four year time frame. The company also previously faced a class action lawsuit filed anonymously by two women accusing drivers of sexual abuse in which the women alleged the company had insufficient screening policies and “used low cost, woefully inadequate background checks on drivers.”

In response, the company recently announced its commitment to safety and increased due diligence, noting that they will “proactively rerun criminal and motor vehicle checks each year” as well as “invest in technology that rapidly identifies new [potentially disqualifying] offenses.”

Many employers understand the importance of conducting comprehensive background checks pre-hire, but numerous employers do not conduct routine checks once the individual is employed. While a thorough background check can be a great indicator of the individual’s fitness for the position, they cannot always predict whether the individual will stay on the right side of the law.

Rescreening is becoming a point of emphasis for organizations in a diverse array of industries as a critical post-hire due diligence tool. Conducting background checks on your employee population – particularly criminal searches – on a routine basis can help identify information, such as a pending case that occurred post-hire, that may impact the individual’s ability to remain employed.

Prior to launching a rescreening program, employers should consult qualified legal counsel to thoroughly assess areas of potential risk. For example, employers should carefully review consent forms to accommodate future screening language as well as policies that address how to handle new criminal records that are identified during any post-hire screening.