3 Takeaways from PBSA’s First Ever Virtual Conference

The Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) successfully held its annual conference on September 14 and 15, 2020. It was a great opportunity for Integrity Asia to be able to attend the event.

With the theme “Make way for Excellence”, the conference presented expert speakers who spoke on educational topics ranging from global screening techniques, business strategy, technology and information security practices, legal and compliance guidelines, and as well as other opportunities and challenges ahead for PBSA’s members.

Here are three takeaways from the conference:

1. The first virtual conference: the event was PBSA’s first virtual conference due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Leveraging virtual technology: the pandemic has increased the leverage of virtual technology in employment screening activities. This is definitely both an opportunity and a challenge, as the business should pay more attention to the  security aspect of virtual technology.

3. Deepening relationships with customers: relationships with customers should always be more than just transactional, but more of a ‘best friend’. It might not always be about offering faster TAT or cheaper cost or tech focus, but the services should be able to help them to hire faster safely. Adding more value is irreplaceable. Deepening relationships with customers would be favorable for the bottom line, primarily during these tough times.

One of the hottest topics in the conference was GDPR. The regulation has been in effect since 2018 for entities and individuals in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). However, this regulation also applies to  controllers or processors outside the Union that processes the data of subjects who are in the Union. This means the GDPR could affect all entities –  including employment background screening companies around the globe –  so long as the data are of subjects who are in the Union. 

Another  interesting topic was about monitoring screening, which is a “new class service in the industry”. The monitoring screening is different from pre-employment background screening. It is more of providing continuous screening from pre-hiring to the end of employment.

How does monitoring benefit the end user? There are four benefits. First, safety and compliance. The employer will immediately know if their employee is involved in any criminal activities . Second is employee assistance. The employer will be able to assist and help the employee to solve their problem. For example, a case of drunk driving for one employee has occurred. After the employer is notified, a week later the employee may join a drug treatment program to assist them with recovery. The third benefit is “set it and forget it”. Once the program is set up, employers will not have to invest too much time into maintaining the program. The last benefit is reputation. This program shows the company’s commitment to safety to both internal and external stakeholders.

The virtual conference was a vibrant and informative two days. The presence of Integrity Asia in the conference is a form of continued commitment to the screening profession in providing outstanding products and services with high standards and quality. Contact us, for more information about our employment background screening services.