Introduction
HR teams are evolving from traditional administrative roles to becoming strategic partners in driving organizational success. This report explores how HR leaders are leveraging background checks to increase their strategic impact, tackle common pain points, and align their efforts with measurable ROI goals.
Based on insights from 1,000 HR leaders across multiple industries, our findings reveal the challenges HR teams face, the solutions they seek, and the ways background checks are transforming hiring practices to enhance efficiency, scalability, and overall organizational performance.
By understanding these trends, HR professionals can position themselves as vital contributors to their companies’ strategic objectives.
Five insights for enhancing strategic HR with better background checks
Insight 1
Accuracy and efficiency of background checks are critical to optimizing recruitment ROI
HR leaders in our survey emphasized the critical role of optimizing recruitment and hiring processes to enhance ROI. Key findings reveal areas where improvements in efficiency, background check workflows, and prioritization of hiring factors can drive meaningful organizational outcomes.
Key aspects of background checks influencing ROI
Our survey showed that accuracy of results is the most critical factor impacting ROI for HR teams, with 35% of HR leaders identifying it as their top priority.
Turnaround time (26%) is also a significant focus, reflecting the demand for efficient and reliable processes to avoid delays in hiring. While cost considerations are less prominent (13%), they remain an important element in evaluating ROI, particularly for organizations balancing budget constraints with operational effectiveness.
What aspects of background checks do HR leaders say stand to have the biggest impact on ROI, if improved?
Integration of background check workflows
Background check workflow integration is a growing priority for HR leaders. A majority (58%) of respondents report having integrated workflows, which demonstrates progress in streamlining recruitment processes.
However, 27% of HR leaders have not implemented integration with their ATS, and another 15% are unsure, revealing considerable room for improvement. These gaps highlight opportunities for organizations to enhance their systems, reduce inefficiencies, and achieve greater alignment with hiring goals.
What percentage of HR teams have integrated their background check workflow with their ATS/HRIS platform?
What this means for employers
- Streamline hiring workflows: Prioritize workflow integrations that reduce inefficiencies and align background checks with other hiring processes. Implementing automation and centralized systems can help achieve this goal.
- Focus on background check accuracy: Select a provider who uses advanced data technology to improve report accuracy and eliminate manual tasks, helping you reduce compliance risk and improve quality of hire.
- Leverage technology for speed and scalability: Background check partners with a focus on data technology, AI-powered tools, and intuitive automations are often best positioned to deliver faster turnaround times, better reliability, and easy scaling for high-volume screenings.
Insight 2
Quality of hire tops HR leaders’ list of key metrics
Improving the quality of hire emerges as the primary reason for conducting background checks, cited by 56% of HR leaders. This focus reflects the critical role that thorough and accurate screening plays in securing top talent and ensuring long-term employee success.
Measuring ROI in background check processes
HR leaders identify improvement in quality of hire as the most important measure of ROI in background check processes. Secondary metrics that HR leaders pay the closest attention to include the accuracy of background check results and cost savings in the hiring process, emphasizing the dual priorities of effectiveness and efficiency. These metrics illustrate how background checks contribute to broader HR and organizational outcomes, reinforcing their strategic value.
Which strategic outcomes do HR leaders use to measure background check success?
Background checks and talent acquisition ROI
A significant portion of HR leaders55%) agree that enhancing background check processes can positively impact talent acquisition ROI and reduce costs, with 29% strongly agreeing.
These findings highlight the critical need for reliable, accurate, and efficient background screening practices to support strategic hiring objectives. Improved processes can not only reduce expenses but also enhance hiring outcomes, demonstrating a clear link between background checks and organizational success.
We asked HR leaders: Do you believe improvements to the background check process would positively impact your talent acquisition ROI and help reduce hiring costs?
HR metrics for improvement in 2025
HR leaders rank time to hire as the most critical HR metric requiring improvement, followed by employee retention rate and background check efficiency. These priorities align with the strategic objectives of improving hiring speed, reducing turnover, and streamlining pre-employment processes.
What this means for employers
- Focus on quality: Examine the stages of your hiring flow that often directly impact quality of hire—like interviews and background checks—for gaps in performance. Ask: Are we getting actionable insights from our tech tools for these tasks that can help us improve?
- Streamline for speed and efficiency: Evaluate your tech stack integrations for needed updates or improvements. Work toward building one efficient workflow for both your hiring team and candidates that helps you meet hiring timelines without sacrificing thoroughness.
- Link background checks to retention goals: Align background checks with broader workforce strategies to demonstrate ROI in areas like higher employee retention rates, reduced risk, and faster time to productivity.
Insight 3
Cost, efficiency, and data accuracy drive decisions when choosing a provider
Selecting the right background check provider is a critical decision for HR teams, with the potential to directly impact hiring efficiency, compliance, and overall candidate experience.
Key factors for choosing a provider
HR leaders in our survey prioritized cost as the top factor when selecting a background check provider, reflecting the need to balance quality services with budget constraints. Efficiency and ease-of-use (for both HR managers and candidates) are also high on the list, underscoring the importance of seamless workflows that minimize administrative burdens.
Turnaround time ranks fourth, demonstrating the need for timely results to support fast-paced hiring processes. Integration capabilities also made the top list for surveyed HR leaders. This highlights the importance of your new provider’s systems aligning with your organization’s existing HR technology stack, enabling smooth and efficient operations.
What is the most important consideration for your HR strategy when choosing a background check partner?
Most important background check tools for strategic success
When evaluating a background check provider, HR leaders again place a strong emphasis on data accuracy and reliability (with 44% ranking this as the most important strategic success). HR leaders also stressed that their organizations could benefit from compliance tools and a provider that offers seamless integration with their current systems.
What do HR leaders say is most important to their team’s strategic success when choosing a background check partner?
What this means for employers
- Balance cost with comprehensive value: While cost is a critical factor, HR leaders are also looking to prioritize efficiency, ease-of-use, and integration capabilities to maximize operational benefits.
- Ensure accuracy and compliance: Data accuracy and adherence to legal regulations are often essential for making reliable and lower-risk hiring decisions.
- Streamline processes with integration: Background check providers that integrate seamlessly with existing HR systems may improve your workflow efficiency and minimize disruptions.
- Support strategic goals: Choose a provider that aligns with organizational objectives, enhancing both HR team effectiveness and the overall candidate experience.
Insight 4
The impact of an integrated, AI-powered tech stack
HR leaders are leaning on integrations and AI to improve turnaround times, centralize data management, and improve overall efficiency, but 40% share concerns about data accuracy and integrity.
Most recommended AI-powered hiring solutions
AI-powered tools are gaining traction in hiring processes across industries. Automated pre-employment assessments (20%) and AI-powered resume screening (18%) are emerging as the most recommended solutions among HR leaders. These tools may enable HR teams to evaluate candidates more effectively, reduce bias, and save time.
In contrast, chatbots for initial interactions with candidates (5%) are the least recommended, reflecting limited adoption or effectiveness in addressing hiring challenges. These findings highlight a preference for AI applications that directly improve candidate evaluation over tools focused on initial engagement.
Biggest benefits of technology integration
The integration of advanced hiring technologies may deliver benefits for some HR leaders, with faster turnaround times and centralized data management ranked as the most significant advantages by our survey respondents. Faster processing can reduce time-to-hire, a critical metric for HR teams, while centralized systems improve data accessibility and efficiency.
Building on centralized data management, reduced manual data entry was highlighted as an additional top benefit of an integrated tech stack, as streamlined processes and the automation of time-consuming tasks can greatly improve team efficiency.
What do HR leaders see as the biggest benefits of an integrated HR tech stack?
What questions should you ask your background check provider before integrating solutions?
HR managers in our survey overwhelmingly prioritized confirming how your screening partner ensures data accuracy and integrity during the integration scoping process, with 40% ranking this as the most important question to ask.
A secondary focus is on how data is shared between systems (18%), reinforcing the need for seamless integration and interoperability at the data level to avoid information silos and enhance workflow efficiency.
What is the most important question HR leaders should ask background check partners about their ATS/HRIS integration before implementation?
What this means for employers
- Choose AI tools that directly impact candidate evaluation: HR managers may improve quality of hire with AI-powered solutions that have a measurable impact on quality of hire, like resume screening, assessments, and background checks.
- Leverage integrations to reduce time-to-hire: An integrated HR tech stack’s critical benefits include faster turnaround times and centralized data management. Organizations are most interested in investing in systems that enhance these efficiencies.
- Prioritize data accuracy: Reliable and accurate data is the foundation of effective hiring practices. Employers may mitigate risk by asking tech stack partners how their solutions meet rigorous data quality and compliance standards.
Insight 5
The importance of the candidate experience and background check transparency
HR leaders prioritize creating a positive candidate and employee experience. Speed and efficiency during the screening process are noted as pivotal in avoiding dreaded delays.
Valued attributes in background check candidate experience
HR leaders emphasize that maintaining the confidentiality and security of candidate information during background checks is a top priority.
Speed and efficiency are also highly valued, with many HR professionals focusing on minimizing delays while maintaining reliability in screening outcomes. Transparency plays a vital role as well, with clear communication about the steps and expectations of the process fostering trust and a positive perception of the organization.
What do HR leaders say is the most important aspect of a positive background check candidate experience?
What this means for employers
- Prioritize candidate experience: HR teams need to look at every touchpoint of the hiring process, including background checks, to enhance their ability to attract and retain top talent.
- Enhance background check transparency: Clear and consistent communication about background check procedures builds trust and reinforces a positive candidate-employer relationship.
- Streamline processes without sacrificing confidentiality: Choosing a provider with robust compliance and security tools can help ensure HR leaders can easily and consistently maintain compliance throughout the entire process.
The takeaway
HR leaders are betting on an integrated tech stack, improved candidate experience, and enhanced data integrity to meet strategic talent acquisition goals and align with larger business objectives this year.
Talent teams at large organizations prioritize speed, ROI, integration capabilities, and accuracy when choosing the best background check partners. Partnering with technology providers that emphasize compliance, integration, and efficiency may enable HR teams to drive measurable business outcomes more effectively.
Streamline your hiring with the fastest, most accurate background checks
Checkr provides HR teams with the tools to create a seamless and efficient hiring process that surpasses the expectations of top candidates.
By automating background check data collection, report generation, adjudication processes, and candidate communication, teams can focus on strategic initiatives, leading to quicker and more informed hiring decisions that positively influence quality of hire metrics.
With easy integration into your favorite ATS/HRIS platform, compliance support, and tools that encourage fair and inclusive hiring practices, HR leaders can improve their hiring program's efficiency, scalability, and ROI.
Ready to unlock HR’s strategic potential with better background checks? Learn more about how to find the right partner for your team in our guide to choosing a background check provider, or get in touch with Checkr today.
Learn how Checkr can help your team level up strategic impact
Survey methodology
All data found within this report is derived from a survey by Checkr conducted online via survey platform Pollfish. In total, 500 Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) were surveyed. This survey was conducted over a three-week span in November 2024, and all respondents were asked to answer all questions as truthfully as possible and to the best of their knowledge and abilities.
Disclaimer
The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.
