Enhanced User Experience with the New Consumer Portal for The Work Number®

EQUIFAX CONTINUES TO ENHANCE THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE for The Work Number, providing people with easier access to view, understand and control their employment data. Joe Muchnick, Senior Vice President, Employer Services and Talent Solutions, and Maria Hayes, Senior Vice President, Digital and Experience at Equifax Workforce Solutions are answering a few questions about the new consumer portal experience.

How is Equifax making it easier for consumers to access and manage their employment information?

JM: We believe it’s important for you as the consumer to understand not only what employment data is reported about you, but also how that data is used to help you keep moving forward with important life events – such as leasing an apartment, purchasing or leasing a vehicle, or applying for a mortgage or government benefits.

With the newly enhanced portal, you’ll experience a more intuitive, mobile-friendly design with enhanced accessibility, new educational tools, and more robust processes to view and help you manage your employment data. That includes upgraded experiences to help you view your personal Employment Data Report (EDR), and to even help you freeze your employment data or file a dispute to help correct inaccurate or incomplete information on your EDR.

What are some of the new features of the consumer portal? 

MH: The portal is designed with you - the consumer - in mind, as you seek to view, understand and control your employment data. The updated experience helps by delivering:  

• 24/7 access to expanded Help and Support content including articles, user guides and frequently-asked-questions.

• Continued instant and private access for you to see and review your Employment Data Report.  

• An enhanced Data Freeze page, with explanations of options to freeze and unfreeze employment data as well as access to the data freeze request form.  

• An enhanced Data Dispute Center, with explanations of what to expect during the dispute process and a link to initiate a dispute if needed.

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 Level AA conformance, helping make the site more accessible.

• A mobile friendly design, making it easier to use for today’s on-the-go consumer.  

How can consumers help ensure the data in their TWN report is accurate? 

MH: To begin with, the data in The Work Number is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a federal law that regulates how information collected by consumer reporting agencies – such as Equifax – can be used and accessed. Under the FCRA, verifiers (such as lenders, social service agencies and landlords) requesting your employment and/or income information must undergo a thorough credentialing process and have a legally required, permissible purpose for accessing your data. Also, Equifax does not provide verifications of income without your consent.

Additionally, I’d encourage you to visit the portal at employees.theworknumber.com to learn more about managing your employment data and to view your own Employment Data Report (EDR). If you’re concerned that the information in your report may be incomplete or inaccurate, you can dispute the information under the FCRA, and you can now initiate a dispute from right within the platform. Also within the platform, you can initiate an employment data freeze, preventing access for verifiers to view your employment data from The Work Number. 

The website mentions how consumers can “freeze” (or “unfreeze”) their employment data. What should I consider before requesting a freeze? 

JM: A freeze gives you control over your employment data and helps prevent it from being shared. For instance, your employment data would not be shared with a lender when you apply for a mortgage or auto loan, with a landlord when you apply for an apartment rental, or with a government agency when you apply for social service benefits. With a freeze in place, you’d likely need to rely on old-fashioned methods – such as printing off paper pay stubs or contacting your employer to request a verification.

It’s interesting to note that 23 percent of verifications using The Work Number are completed after business hours or over the weekend.* Why? Because people often shop for major purchases like mortgages or cars during those times. With a data freeze in place, your auto dealer or mortgage lender won’t be able to instantly verify the employment or income information stated on your application through The Work Number. So your hopes of driving off the lot with that shiny new car on Saturday morning may be put on hold until the dealer can contact your employer’s HR department on Monday - or perhaps even later. A similar dynamic applies to mortgage lending and other processes as well.

Why are employment and income verifications important for today’s consumer? 

JM: We understand that you expect your business interactions to be as quick and frictionless as possible - whether you are leasing an apartment, buying a car, or applying for a mortgage or government benefits - all of which can often be streamlined through the use of The Work Number. Supplementing traditional credit data with employment and income data from The Work Number can also help you unlock new borrowing opportunities that may have otherwise been unavailable.** 

To learn more, visit employees.theworknumber.com.

*Internal Equifax Data Study, 2021. 

**Equifax Internal Study of The Work Number Inquiry Data, December 2019 United States consumer finance loans. Individual results may vary.