The Importance of Trust in the Sharing Economy

Sharing and gig economy companies have revolutionized the way people go about their daily lives. Your average person can vacation in Miami and enjoy an extended stay at a luxurious Airbnb for a fraction of the cost of a hotel. While they’re visiting they can use Uber or Lyft to get around to all the local tourist stops. If they get hungry, they can have GrubHub deliver food from local restaurants right to their door. And while they’re away, their dog is being cared for by a pet sitter they found on DogVacay.

This is just one example of all the ways a person can interact with the gig economy. The convenience and cost they provide simply can’t be beat. People trust these companies with their food, their transportation, even their pets. It’s that concept – trust – that is at the core of the sharing economy model. Consumers trust that sharing economy companies will hire quality people to be the face of their brand. Failing to conduct adequate pre-employment background screening can lead to dissatisfied customers and bad publicity. Here are some tips on what to look for in a quality screening company:  

1. Accuracy

Accuracy is the core of a vetting service. Imagine missing a person’s sexual offender record, and then having that person drive your 8-year-old son or daughter to school. Unfortunately, that is a real situation that resulted in very real suffering. A screening program must be accurate and transparent for people to place their trust in it.  

2. Speed

There are screening searches that are immediate, such as searching against sexual-offender or multi-state criminal databases, but there are also manual processes required for checking criminal records in various states or countries. Look for screening services that can respond with immediate initial results, then quick follow-ups after validation.  

3. Modernized applicant experience

If you want people to provide your service, such as drivers, dog-sitters, and other gig work, the ability to join quickly and seamlessly is critical. The user experience of onboarding must be as frictionless as possible. It is critical to determine whether your screening provider can deliver that. From these basics, scale up in terms of automated rules-based platforms, the use of artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Modern companies require a modern, streamlined applicant experience.  

4. Unobtrusive monitoring

Once you have vetted and hired a participant in the delivery of your brand services, there continues to be a need to protect your customers and mitigate risk. Will a driver get a DUI and have their license suspended? Will an Airbnb host get convicted for sexual assault? These are legitimate concerns that need to be checked and rechecked often. A continuous monitoring program can alert sharing economy companies to potential risks before an incident occurs.  

5. Global trust

Even if your company isn’t global (yet), you could be hiring people who have work histories in other countries. Your screening company needs to work globally, too. As sharing economy companies strategize for global growth country-by-country, they need a single platform for the trusted screening of candidates for every country.  

6. Compliance and experience

There are still no precedents for some areas in this new trust economy, and regulatory battles still rage in the courts. Take a conservative approach to protect all parties in the vetting process. Be sure your screening company adheres to established frameworks, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Choosing a screening company with a long history and familiarity with these rules and regulations is crucial to your brand’s continued success. The underlying foundation of this global sharing economy is trust. Screening companies play a small yet vital role in building that foundation. To determine if your current screening provider is living up to these standards, audit them to see what they might have missed. InfoMart’s audit program allows large companies to see what their current screening provider might have overlooked or misreported in their initial screens. To learn more, contact InfoMart today. Want to read more on this topic? Visit Entrepreneur to read our CEO’s article “A Foundation of Trust Is How the Sharing Economy Thrives.”

About Marco R. Piovesan

A globally-seasoned and dynamic leader with more than 20 years of experience in global information services and data privacy regulations, Piovesan is a pioneer of the global Information Age. He passionately focuses on solving global consumer identity and credit challenges through constant technological innovation.

About InfoMart

InfoMart has been revolutionizing the global background and identity screening industry for 30 years, providing businesses the information they need to make informed hiring decisions. They develop innovative technology that modernizes talent onboarding, including a first-to-market biometric identity authentication application and a verified sanctions search. The WBENC-certified company is a founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, and they have achieved PBSA accreditation in recognition of their consistent business practices and commitment to compliance with the FCRA. The company is dedicated to customer service, speed, and accuracy, and it has been recognized for its success, workplace culture, and corporate citizenship with over 45 industry awards. To Get the Whole Story on InfoMart, please visit www.InfoMart-USA.com, follow @InfoMartUSA, or call (770) 984-2727.