9.170.040 Policy.
(a) WSSC conducts appropriate, thorough, and legally compliant background investigations on:
(1) All Commission employees who receive a conditional offer of promotion;
(2) Commission job applicants (including interns) who receive a conditional employment offer;
(3) All WSSC contractors and/or vendors requiring access to either Commission facilities and/or infrastructure, or WSSC engineering plans, drawings, records or other information the Commission deems sensitive; and
(4) All persons and organizations requesting access to WSSC engineering plans, drawings, records, or other information the Commission deems sensitive.
(b) Employees who are promoted to jobs that require a more thorough level of background investigation compared to their most recent background investigation shall undergo the more thorough background investigation prior to starting the new assignment.
(c) All employment background investigations will be conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws or regulations. Additionally, all background investigations will be considered highly confidential; therefore, Commission employees will not disseminate information from a background investigation except when compelled by official Commission business or under due process of law.
(d) Every offer of employment, including those made to interns, shall be conditioned on completion by WSSC of the level of background investigation appropriate for the subject offer. The background investigation’s effect, if any, on the conditional offer of employment is governed by WSSC 9.170.050.
(e) The employee or applicant shall execute an authorization and waiver for release of information which is consistent with the level of background investigation conducted in connection with the employee’s (applicant’s) application. This authorization and waiver is an eligibility requirement for an application for a new position or promotion.
(f) Completed Human Resources Office (HRO) background investigations shall be maintained in a separate confidential file within the HRO and retained in accordance with the relevant records retention requirements. Completed PHSD background investigations will be maintained in a secured file within PHSD headquarters and retained in accordance with the relevant records retention requirements.
(g) For background investigations conducted by HRO, a Team Chief, Office Director, equivalent or higher-level manager may request to modify the level of background investigation based on a determination that a higher level investigation is needed due to a position’s unique duties and responsibilities (e.g., certain positions in Finance, Procurement and Office of the Inspector General). This request shall be made to the Human Resources Director who will decide the appropriate level of background investigation prior to initiating the recruitment for a vacant or new position. (Document dated July 1, 2020; Amended during 2019 codification; REG-HRM-HR-2014-005 § IV)