Gig work is everywhere. If you don’t know what a gig is, you probably haven’t spent much time around the internet. Loosely defined, a gig is a short, one-off, job that pays on a per participant basis. Ridesharing companies are the most obvious example of a gig-based business model, but there are many, many others.

Food delivery is a popular gig. Nowadays, though, there are gig companies for massage therapists, clinical psychologists, doctors, and lawyers. There are even gigs for writers, who craft blogs for smart brands on the internet.

But How Has the Gig Economy Impacted Background Screening?

Background screening used to be pretty standard for most American employers. When you got a job, depending on the parameters of that job, you might have to go down to your local police station and get a set of fingerprints made. You might have to submit those to a national database and wait weeks to begin your new job.

This was a hassle for employers and employees. When businesses are hiring, it’s generally because there is an immediate need. But background checks have been a standard for a reason; employers don’t want people convicted of embezzlement handling their cash deposits, and so on.

But how do gig companies handle this issue?

Well, up until recently, many haven’t been. Many haven’t felt the need to conduct background checks on an employee–really an independent contractor–who may be gone off to another company in a few days. But these gig-type jobs do bring people into relationships of confidence, they bring people into close proximity. A cab company may screen it’s drivers, but does your ride-sharing app?

Now, there are background screening organizations that have built a new system that can more efficiently and quickly screens these gig-workers. This system combines a bit of the old and a bit of the new, it allows people to continue supplementing their income through these gig-type jobs while also protecting the consumers who use these services and the services themselves.

Consumers feel safer knowing their driver or delivery man isn’t going to take advantage of their position to exploit them, and gig-companies themselves feel safer knowing they’re not likely to be sued for negligent hiring.

In short, background checks for gig economy companies are quickly becoming a whole new standard. If you work in the gig economy or want to learn more about background checks for gig economy companies, consider reaching out to a background check company that has built its business for the digital, gig-economy, age.