Earlier this year, First Advantage named a new Chief Experience Officer to strategically lead our product, innovation and technology teams in a way that allows us to pivot quickly in response to changing customer needs. Joelle Smith, with her 20+ years of experience driving technological innovation and growth, has already aligned our teams to meet the challenges of a quickly changing market. Below, she weighs in on how First Advantage is responding to the current global health crisis:

“We see this situation playing out in five different stages:

1. COVID-19 initial impact
2. Economic slowdown
3. Business continuity and remote work
4. Return to work
5. The new normal

We’ve been primarily focused on the economic slowdown and supporting our clients who need to hire aggressively right now: healthcare and hospitals, retail, distribution, logistics and transportation. We are averaging anywhere between 15,000-25,000 screens per day to bring an immediate workforce to our customers who are supplying healthcare workers, equipment, supplies, food and pharmaceuticals to those in need all around the world.

We are also working with our medical staff, biotech partners and researchers to understand the best way to help our clients as we evolve through the next stages of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s critical that we not only address the needs of today but be prepared to help our customers through the new normal of tomorrow, including virtual drug testing, COVID-19 test options, new products to assist with remote work, new compliance regulations, etc. Our product development and research teams are working around the clock to ensure we provide fast, easy and compliant ways of hiring or rehiring employees and contingent labor.”