Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

November 8, 2010 by

Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

During the 2010 SHRM Annual Conference, attendees were asked to complete a survey on background screening and employee background checks.  Based on priority ranking, the top three challenges that responders would like to see changed were:

§ Accuracy of data
§ Timeliness of service
§ Cost

Most employers expect the data that they receive from their provider to be accurate and understand the source of the information.

Employers also expect their requests be completed and results returned to them in a timely manner.  But there is sometimes a misunderstanding on why some searches, particularly the criminal background check, may take longer than others.

Each jurisdiction has its own rules and procedures to follow when releasing criminal history information.  They range from being openly available on line to what is known as a “clerk search” court.

In the worst case, a request is submitted to the court, and the clerk checks for a record when there is time.  If a record is found, the submitter is contacted and returns to the courthouse and retrieves the record.  The time line for this can stretch up to two weeks.  Also, because of decreased budgets and personnel furloughs, some court administration offices are running reduced hours and with fewer people.  In most cases, inconsistencies in the return of criminal records is out of the control of the background check company.

Cost of the criminal background check is also somewhat dependent of the court, as access fees and administrative costs vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  Most providers pass these additional fees on the customer, so that the cost of the record retrieval may also be inconsistent.

Your provider will let you know up front if there are any extra fees by providing a listing of the jurisdictions that charge.  Be careful of any provider who charges one price for all criminal history checks.

There is a story of a mechanic who had a sign in his shop stating, “Our work is good, fast, and cheap…  You can pick any two!”

This also applies to employee background checks.

For further information call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Reasons to Conduct Background Checks

November 5, 2010 by

Reasons to Conduct Background Checks

More and more employers are conducting background checks as an integral part of their pre employment screening procedure as shown by numerous studies and reports.  One of the reasons for some of the employers are doing this is because of an unpleasant experience with an employee.  Maybe the employee stole; perhaps the employee fought with a fellow employee or customer; or maybe the employee received a DUI while in the company van, and the employer decided that this type of behavior would never happen at his business again.

Most employment screening includes a criminal background check.  This is the most often requested of the background checks and obviously is done to determine if the individual has had any contact with the judicial system, and if so, how often and how serious was it.

A social security trace is often run to reveal any addresses used by the applicant.  Are there any locations that the candidate might need to explain because he left them off his application?  Why would someone do that?  Perhaps to hide a criminal record or the location of a job he’d rather you not know about.

A motor vehicle record is a must for an employee who will be driving on company business at any time.  Even valid licenses may have severe restrictions and withheld privileges associated with them.  A license that looks valid may also be a counterfeit or suspended.  The candidate sure isn’t going to tell you if it is.

Reference checks, professional licensing, and employment verifications are other relevant areas of background checks that may lead to a clearer picture or the applicant’s past activities.

An employer certainly has the right to make an informed decision in hiring a new employee and thorough pre employment screening helps in making that decision.

As with any policy, apply pre employment screening consistently to all applicants considered for a position with your company.

For more information on employee background checks, call 770-426-0547 or click here to be connected.

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Workplace Violence Screened by Background Checks

November 3, 2010 by

Workplace Violence Screened by Background Checks 

Pre employment screening can’t possibly exclude an individual who might display bullying tendencies that could possibly lead to workplace violence, can it?

There seem to be more and more stories being publicized about workplace violence recently.  A workplace shooting at a Manchester, CT brewery that took the lives of nine people is an example.

There is also more media attention being paid to workplace bullying, which has a very broad definition, encompassing activities from slander and name calling to aggression and physical assaults.

Two thing are certain about workplace violence incidents: they can cost an employer big bucks in the case of lawsuits, and while they can’t be totally controlled, there are things an employer can do to lessen the risk.

From the pre employment screening and background checks standpoint, there are two areas that deserve heightened scrutiny:  criminal background checks and reference background checks.

Does the criminal background check show any signs of a violent or abusive person?  Are there charges for simple battery, affray, disorderly conduct, or domestic violence?  If so, pay extra attention to the applicant during the interview process and get a feel for their attitude.  Ask specific questions about information contained on their application and resume, and determine if they are truthful or covering something up.

Make your reference background checks as detailed as you can, asking former employers if there were instances of bullying or violence related to the applicant.  Although some former employers don’t willingly give this type of information, there are others just waiting for you to ask.

It is a lot simpler to not hire a person with a history of bullying and violence than it is to handle it once they become your employee and incidents have occurred.

To discuss your pre employment screening and procedures relating to your background checks, click here or call 770-426-0547

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Pre Employment Screening – What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You

October 25, 2010 by

Pre Employment Screening – What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You

Using your pre employment screening program, reviewing resumes, telephone interviews, in person interviews, you have narrowed your choices down to two candidates for a management position who are more or less equal in experience, ability, and education.  Now it is time for the background check.

The position requires exposure to cash receipts, customer interaction, driving a personal vehicle on various company business, and access to proprietary company information.  In addition, you have specified that a college degree is preferred for this position.

Based on the requirements you have determined to check the following:

§ Criminal history.  A basic check for all your new hires.
§ A social trace to determine previous addresses for the applicant.
§ Employment Credit Report to determine fiscal responsibility.
§ Employment verifications for the previous five years.
§ Education verification for the highest degree attained.

One of the applicants has provided on the employment application that he has worked two jobs in the past five years.  The first he left for other employment, immediately worked for the second employer from whom he was recently downsized; he has lived in the same location for the past five years, and prior to that at a different address in the same town.  He claims a Master’s Degree in Education from East Podunk State Teacher’s College, a small school in Oregon.
He says he has a misdemeanor arrest for disorderly conduct that was dismissed because it was a case of mistaken identity.

You send your request for background checks over to your background check company, and two days later you learn that your applicant was arrested twice for writing bad checks and received probation for one charge and the other was dismissed.  He was also arrested and convicted for felony credit card fraud for which he is currently on probation.

The social trace reveals that he lived in an adjoining state for a year that he failed to mention.  A criminal background check in that jurisdiction shows an arrest and conviction for misdemeanor battery, resulting in a fine and ten days in jail.

The applicant’s credit report shows that he has two judgments for debt outstanding and most of his other accounts are in collections.  All credit cards are at their limit or above.

A verification of his previous employment indicates that he was terminated from his first job six months before he said he was, and he started the second job six months after he said he did, leaving a one-year gap.  His second employer also states that he is not eligible for rehire.

And finally, good old EPSTC is found to be an online only institution that is not accredited by any organization.  Degrees and diplomas are awarded for a $500 tuition fee and for submitting a short essay stating why a degree should be awarded for life experience.

Now, the applicants don’t look nearly so equal, as the other candidate checked out 100%.

Not all of this is likely to show up on one applicant, but variations of each of these examples have and do show up regularly in pre employment screening of candidates.

Use a comprehensive pre employment screening program including employee background checks to fine the answers to questions your applicant nay have reason not answer truthfully.

To find the answers to pre employment screening questions, call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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Are Volunteer Background Checks Necessary?

October 22, 2010 by

Are Volunteer Background Checks Necessary?

At first thought, any program with volunteers might balk at conducting background checks on its volunteers.  After all, putting someone through a background check seems like a fairly severe and demeaning thing to do.  After all aren’t these folks volunteering through a sense of civic duty, community pride, or just a sense of fulfillment through service?

Not necessarily.  If you think about it, what easier way is there for a perverted person to get close to a young person, a potential target, that through volunteering at an organization that serves this demographic?

If a volunteer who does the books for an organization as small as a little league needs quick cash to pay off personal debts or finance a lifestyle more likely to embezzle from that organization or from his “real” job, which is subject to a lot more oversight and trust is not assumed.

There have been numerous instances of volunteers arrested, even over the last several months to indicate that this is a widespread problem.  Just Google “volunteer arrested” to take a look at some examples.  Age doesn’t seem to restrict the activity, as suspects as old as 75 have been recently accused of having illicit activity with underage children.  Gender doesn’t seem to matter either, as there have been several examples of both middle and high school female teachers having flings with teenage boys.

Unfortunately, many times when a victim is harmed by a volunteer, it is the organization that is found liable for either not being aware that the volunteer had a propensity for this type of activity or by not supervising the volunteer closely enough to allow an opportunity to occur.

The best way to accept a volunteer is the same way you would employ someone at your business, and that is to utilize an employment screening process commensurate with the position.  Getting an address history, conducting criminal background checks in the appropriate jurisdictions, credit reports for financial positions, and driving records for those that will be operating vehicles in the performance of their duties as volunteers.

Not all volunteers have to accepted; use a critical eye, ask the right questions, and conduct a thorough background check on all volunteers.

To discuss background checks for your volunteer organization, click here or call 770-426-0547.

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Background Checks and Employee Promotions or Retention

October 20, 2010 by

Background Checks and Employee Promotions or Retention

If your company conducts employee screening, including criminal background checks on all your potential new hires, you might not see the value in duplicating the process for an employee you are considering for promotion.  But if you think about it, there may be several reasons to consider doing just that.

Some of the reasons:

  • An increase or change in the scope of responsibility.  Perhaps the new position exposes the employee to more sensitive information, larger amounts of cash, or interaction with more or higher level clientele.  Think about whether a credit check is now more important than before.  You promote a warehouse worker to delivery driver.  Did you check his driving record previously?
  • The employee had a clean criminal record when he was hired a year ago.  Is that still the case, or has he since had trouble with the law?  And if so, would it be enough for the employer to have second thoughts about promoting or even retaining the employee?
  • Is the new position one that requires a certain level of education?  This may have been overlooked or left unverified at the time of hire, but could cause a loss of confidence on the part of your clients in the new position.  Verifying education is not difficult to do.
  • If the new position requires licensure or certification by a state or local agency, this can be verified through a fresh background check as well.
  • As another example, a driver’s route has changed so that he now delivers to a school or day care facility.  Checking the State Sex Offender Database might now be called for, or even required by the facility.

At the time that you consider promoting your next employee, you might want to think about the new responsibilities and liabilities associated with the position and conduct a new background check.

It is important to be fair and consistent with all employees and applicants who are subject to employee screening and background checks and develop the depth of the investigation based on the relevance of the position.

To discuss these and other background related issues go to Background Checks or call 770-426-0547.

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Do you really need to do Criminal Background Checks?

October 7, 2010 by

You’re a pretty good judge of character and you consider yourself a “people person”, so why do you need to go through the trouble of a criminal background check? Well think about it, every serial killer, kidnapper or bank robber in recent history has had some neighbor who stood up on the 6 o’clock news and testified to what a nice person they seemed to be. Guess what? I bet that person worked somewhere too. A criminal background check is a good way to make sure the next subject of America’s Most Wanted isn’t sitting in the cubicle next to you.

Ok, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. However, a criminal background check is an invaluable tool to help prospective employers discover possible security and safety issues before they become a liability. Sure, anyone can commit a crime but statistics state that 61% of all felons are repeat offenders. That means that, for whatever reason, if you’ve committed a crime in the past you’re far more likely to commit one again in the future. I don’t know about you but that’s not the guy/girl I want with their hand in my cash register.

There are many companies that specialize in these checks. Shop around and see which one works best for your company’s needs. Also be aware that the extent to which you, the employer, may consider someone’s criminal history in making your final decision on who to hire varies depending on which state you do business in. For this reason it is prudent for you to consult an attorney or do some research into your individual state laws before making your final decision on an applicant based on their criminal background check.

For more information contact us at Criminal Background Checks or call 1.770.426.0547

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Criminal Background Checks – What do the Results Mean

October 6, 2010 by

If you are one of the thousands of employers who conduct criminal background checks on potential employees, you know the results can be open to a good deal of interpretation.

The information contained in the criminal background check usually regards arrests or citations by the police agency and the charges against the person, the severity of the crimes, that is a felony, misdemeanor, or infraction, the disposition, and the punishment, if any.

The first step, the arrest is generally made as a result of an investigation by the police, a crime committed in the presence of the police, or a warrant taken by a private individual.  When the person is arrested or cited, he is charged with the offense.  Felonies are the most serious, followed by misdemeanors, and then by infractions.  The difference between these types is generally defined by the punishment defined by statute for the crime.

A person may be charged originally with one crime and have it dropped or amended later to a different charge, at the discretion of the prosecutor, or even have more charges added.

Felonies, or more serious crimes are generally heard in superior or upper court, and misdemeanors in the state or lower court.  Some low level misdemeanor charges or infractions may be heard in municipal or judges’ court.  The courts are called different names, depending on the jurisdiction or location of the court.

The disposition of the case is simply the verdict or other action taken by the court in the criminal action brought before it.

The disposition is usually either a conviction, meaning the person was found guilty, or an acquittal, meaning the person was found not guilty and charges were dismissed.

But there are other dispositions as well.  Most states have a version of a first offender law, or other means to defer judgment until a later date on a first time offender.  Some of these dispositions may be called deferred adjudication, dead docket, adjudication withheld, or other term used by the court.  The important thing to remember is that these types of dispositions should not be considered as convictions, even though it may become a conviction later if the person does not complete the terms of the deferment satisfactorily.

A criminal background check will also generally divulge the punishment for the crime, which may be prison or jail time, a fine, probation time, community service, or a combination of any of these.

There is a lot of leeway in the court systems in this country, so many outcomes are possible in what would seem to be under similar circumstances, so interpretation of the results may seem confusing.

To simplify your criminal background checks, click here or call 770-426-0547.

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Employee background checks are a great Loss Prevention tool

October 5, 2010 by

Using employee background checks is the first step in hiring quality, solid character employee and should be a staple in any business’ loss prevention program.

The 2010 University of Florida National Retail Security Survey documents that the majority of retail shrinkage last year was due to employee theft ($14.4 billion). Employee theft accounted for 43 percent of total retail losses in 2009. An estimated 1.7 million people are victims annually of violent crime while working in the United States, according to a report published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). 1.3 million (75%) of these incidents were simple assaults while 19% were aggravated assaults. The American DataBank has also documented that up to 30% of job applications and 40% of resumes contain false information. Due to a large number of employers not conducting effective employee background checks, 72% of employers lose negligent hiring suits.

An effective use of employee background checks should include, at a minimum, the following:

Criminal Background Check: To include Federal, State and County criminal background checks.

Employment Background Check: Confirm dates of employment, Positions held and eligibility for rehire.

Social Security Background Check: Verify Social Security number, identify other names used and residence history.

Motor Vehicle Report / Driving Records Background Check: Identify citations and suspensions.

Protect your business today. Conduct employee background checks to increase profits and reduce the potential for violent crime in your workplace.

For more information visit: employee background checks

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Background Check Results are Here! Now What?

October 1, 2010 by

You’ve received your applicant’s background check results and he has a record.  Now you have a decision to make.

Hopefully, not what a municipal government here in Georgia did when they received the results for one of their candidates.

This individual, hired in 2006 as a laborer, had a rap sheet that revealed a total of 23 arrests, beginning in 1986; 10 of these were felony arrests; 3 times he his parole was revoked and he was sent back to prison.  His last arrest prior to being hired by the city was in 2004, when he was sentenced to 3 years in prison, but was paroled in July 2006.

After being hired by the city in December, the employee was soon transferred into the utilities department and was given a truck and a route read customer’s utility meters.

As it turns out he was doing more than reading meters.  Police arrested him while on his route for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.  He had $1600 in cash on him at the time.

So this employer had adequate warning to keep an eye on this employee, but gave him the means to continue his criminal career.

How does an employer decide who to hire or not to hire based on the results of a criminal background check?

The test is usually, “Does this person’s record have an impact on the job he is expected to do?”  Agreed that the city might have had a difficult time filling the position of laborer with anyone that didn’t have some sort of criminal record.  The question then becomes, should that person have been promoted/transferred into the utility department?  The answer in this case was obviously “No”.

Other examples:

Violent crime convictions for an employee with customer or employee contact?

Financial crimes for bookkeeper?

Shoplifting crimes for a retail store employee?

Driving Under the Influence arrests for a delivery driver?

In these examples, the search should probably continue for your new employee, but you should always weigh the relevance of the criminal record check with the job to be performed, and not preclude an individual just because he has a record and has disclosed it honestly on his application.

To contact a background check expert, call 770-426-0547 or click here.

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