Dive Brief:
- According to a new survey about the sharing economy commissioned by First Advantage, a background screening solutions provider, a wide majority of consumers would be more likely to participate in the "sharing economy," or peer-to-peer transactional services, if those services required background checks.
- Forty-one percent said they would be "much more likely" to use the services, while 39 percent said they would be "somewhat more likely" to use them.
- The collaborative economy, which is estimated in a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers to reach $335 billion by 2025, is predicated on direct connections between consumers without the need for corporate intermediary. Yet these services cannot thrive if consumers remain skeptical of how willing others are to play by the rules and safely deliver on their end of the transaction, says First Advantage.
Dive Insight:
"We created the survey to better understand the degree of trust people have in sharing economy companies, and how they believe background checks should fit into the process," said Jennifer Franklin, SVP, Sharing Economy Solutions at First Advantage.
While HR departments within sharing economy companies such as Uber or AirBnb are somewhat limited, as most of those doing the work are technically not employees (at least not yet), most of those companies do have workforces, so HR does have a role. And if eventually those workers do become classified as employees, the need for background checks would skyrocket.
It would make sense for HR leaders at sharing economy companies to step forward and let top management know that using background checks could be a serious strategic move -- and nothing is more important for HR than to tie itself to business strategy.
