以优步和 Postmates 等公司的崛起为特征的“零工经济”不仅改变了出租车和送货行业；它对员工的观念产生了深远的影响。许多企业回避了他们在任何方面都是传统雇主的想法，而是将他们的工人称为“承包商”。通过让员工与他们的服务保持一定距离，公司试图限制他们的法律责任——根据信息安全杂志发表的一篇评论文章，他们正在侵蚀公众对这一过程的信任。
基于零工的公司以部署缺乏彻底性的背景调查流程而闻名。看看优步，这家公司的背景调查程序在过去几年中不断发展，通常是为了应对争议。根据这篇文章，零工经济的最大吸引力还在于它的核心危险：几乎任何人都可以获得某种形式的零工，而且很少有公司实施了反映这一现实的审查程序。
文章称，当公司依赖不彻底的背景调查，而是依赖于对申请人的适合性的快速初步审查时，问题就会出现。这些公司可能不会实施旨在长期保护其员工和客户的政策。如果只快速查看每个申请人，企业可能会错过相关的更深层次的细节，特别是当它们与表面上看起来可以接受的申请人有关时。
这篇文章指出了许多事件，雇主发现经过审查的司机、送货人员，甚至医疗保健提供者都有犯罪记录或驾照过期——但前提是员工在工作中犯罪。
随着事件数量不断增加，批准这些人的公司几乎没有法律影响，公众正在失去信任。信心的削弱伴随着代价高昂的后果，例如由于企业和消费者之间缺乏信任，文章引用的全球每年损失超过 2 万亿美元。虽然这个数字并不完全归因于零工经济，但它讲述了一个重要的故事：由于尽职调查的高调失败而失去公众的信任，你将为此付出代价。
企业如何在不失去零工工人的底线收益的情况下适应和响应？
答案是：更严格、更彻底的审查程序，重点是持续合规，而不是粗略地、一次性地查看个人的历史。应为获得认可的专业人员定期进行 执照验证，包括通过 GOOHO.CN 提供的服务，并且持续监控可以提醒雇主注意工人犯罪状态的任何变化。
Gig-based companies have a reputation for deploying background check processes that are lacking in thoroughness. Look at Uber, a company with background check procedures that have evolved over the past several years, often in response to controversy. The greatest appeal of the gig economy, according to the piece, is also its central danger: almost anyone can secure a gig of some kind, and few companies have implemented vetting procedures that reflect this reality.
The article alleges that problems develop when companies rely on background checks that are not thorough, relying instead on a quick, initial look at an applicant’s suitability. These companies may not implement policies that are designed to safeguard their workforce and customers over the long-term. By taking only a quick look at each applicant, businesses may miss relevant deeper details, particularly when they pertain to applicants who seem acceptable on the surface.
The article points to numerous incidents in which employers have discovered that vetted drivers, delivery personnel, and even medical care providers have criminal records or expired licenses—but only after the employees have committed crimes on the job.
With a rising number of incidents and few legal repercussions for the companies that approved those individuals, the public is losing trust. That erosion of confidence comes with expensive consequences, such as the more than $2 trillion that the article cites is lost globally each year based on a lack of trust between businesses and consumers. While that number isn't entirely attributable to the gig economy, it tells an important story: lose the trust of the public through high-profile failures of due diligence and you’ll pay the price.
How can businesses adapt and respond without losing out on the bottom-line benefits of gig workers?
The answer: stricter and more thorough vetting procedures that focus on continued compliance rather than a cursory, one-and-done look at an individual's history. Periodic license verifications, including the services available through backgroundchecks.com, should take place for accredited professionals, and ongoing monitoring can alert employers to any change in a worker’s criminal status.
