There’s been almost no aspect of our everyday lives that hasn’t been impacted by the COVID pandemic – and that includes the turnaround time on background checks and drug screens. Whether or not you’re a Foley customer, we want to make you aware of these delays so that you know what to expect, as they are impacting background and drug screening programs throughout the country.
Courthouse Delays
Stay-at-home orders limited the activity in many courthouses earlier this year, which are now dealing with extensive backlogs. Limited staff and shortened hours are exacerbating this problem and making it difficult for many courts to catch up – creating significant delays in some areas. For background screening providers such as Good Egg, which relies on information from these courthouses to fulfill their customers’ background check requests, turnaround times have slowed down.
“We understand that our customers rely on this information to make timely hiring decisions,” Good Egg Operations Manager Christie Roell said. said. “Although we’re doing everything we can to get results into our customers’ hands faster, we are unfortunately limited by delays at the state and county level.”
Drug Testing Facility Delays
Limited staff, collection site closures and shipping delays is also impacting the delivery of drug and alcohol testing results. Many of us have become very familiar with these shipping delays, as two-day and next-day shipping have virtually disappeared in many areas since the virus struck. This is a result of major shippers working around the clock to fulfill the growing demand for home delivery.
“We have been communicating regularly with our collection site network to better understand the delays and ways we can mitigate the impact on our customers,” Foley’s Director of Compliance Operations Scott Mogensen said. “Our goal is to provide the best and fastest service to our customers during these difficult times.”
What You Can Do
Although delays may be part of the background and drug screening process for the foreseeable future, there are things you can do to lessen the impact on your business.
First, make sure you’re using a digital process for all background and drug screening orders. For Foley customers, this means utilizing the portal as much as possible. This fully electronic system will also deliver your results to you as soon as they become available.
Drug testing customers should also ensure they’re using electronic custody and control forms (eCCFs). These electronic forms are far more accurate and faster to process than paper forms – helping you get your drug testing results as quickly as possible.
Lastly, do your best to prepare for these delays by placing orders as quickly as possible and letting candidates know of potential delays.
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