I have worked with numerous cases of employee dishonesty, theft, and fraud for many years. It was always highly unusual if the case implicated a member of management. Statistically, the majority of those employees implicated were working in a non-management capacity.  Obviously I gained this experience not when working at a background check company.

Most of the commotion centers around the fact that managers are expected to operate within a different level of trust and professionalism. That’s the how and the why they are elevated to management in the first place.  Another significant reason is simply that a much smaller percentage of managers are actually committing theft and fraud.

Oddly enough, I see much more emphasis placed on doing drug tests and background checks for management positions from either in-house promotions or external hires. It seems counter-productive to run background checks on these individuals while ignoring the statistics. The lack of complete background checks being run for non-management employees is not wise and potentially extremely costly.

One could question the wisdom of the additional costs incurred by running checks on everyone. I question the risk of dollars lost from even a single case of employee dishonesty – it can be enormous and potentially debilitating to a company.

I have personally witnessed employee theft cases that involved thousands of dollars, some even tens of thousands.  Criminal background checks can reduce or prevent these types of losses.

When an employer runs a consistent check on all employees, the odds of keeping the bad ones out before they can be considered for management is greatly increased. And that is where processing criminal background checks through a background check company can help tremendously.

For more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

When thinking about conducting pre-employment employee background checks, one seldom considers how this step can prevent internal theft. I had an employee theft issue a few years ago with a group of associates who were stealing from our company. The losses we encountered could have been prevented if we had more rigorous pre-employment screening procedures in place.

The scam worked like this: one associate would make purchases when his friend was working the customer service desk. This was all within policy – what wasn’t within policy was the additional merchandise that was not rung up – thousands of dollars of merchandise. He confessed that the stolen merchandise was all being shipped back to his native country when we questioned him.

We could not locate the other three associates involved when we finished questioning the first employee. They simply walked out of the store while we questioned the first associate. When we took the case to our local law enforcement, it became clear that the employees we had hired used fake IDs with stolen information. We have yet to find our former employees.

Because we are not background check experts, we did not catch the discrepancy when these individuals applied for jobs. If we had possessed the foresight to take this simple and inexpensive step in the hiring process, we would have saved thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise and valuable resources in tracking down the thieves.  Background check experts would have done what we could not.

Employee background checks are not about prior convictions only. It is the way that pre-employment screening is equipped to do an adequate job and confirm whether or not the person you are considering hiring is EXACTLY who he or she presents himself to be.  

For more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

Pre employment screening is important for many reasons. One of those reasons is to prevent internal theft. Background checks help to weed out the bad eggs that may have otherwise slipped through the cracks.

We see a significant spike in this sort of scenario during the holidays. There are plenty of people out there who are looking for a job in retail for no other reason than to steal from the retailer. These types of people know that companies are desperate to hire seasonal help and may not be taking the time to carry out detailed interviews, conduct criminal background checks and check references on potential employees as much as they do the rest of the year.

I have conducted many internal interviews after identifying employee theft and you wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve heard them admit that their sole reason of getting a job with us was to steal. It is always their first time getting caught stealing, so they usually tell us everything we want to know in hopes of getting off with a warning.

We conduct employee background checks on all new hires, and nothing comes up on their background checks when we hire them, but next time they won’t be so lucky. Now that we have caught them in the act, criminal background checks conducted by retailers in the future will stop them in their tracks. We know for a fact that pre employment screening has helped prevent us from hiring convicted shoplifters. When we receive the results from the background check company we are able to see when a shoplifter attempts to get a job with us. We always listen to the background check experts and deny employment in order to protect our assets.

When in doubt, use a background check company and look to background check experts to give you solid advice on employee background checks.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre-employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547 

One of the toughest things for a small business owner to do is spend money, especially when there is nothing tangible they can hold in their hands as a result of the expenditure. That is exactly the challenge I had as a LP consultant when broaching the subject of employee background checks. Small business owners very rarely take into account the pre-employment screening process when they start the search for employees.

There are many things to discuss as a consultant with a new business owner regarding loss prevention but the number one concern is ensuring the business secures a reputable background check company that employs background check experts with a wide array of experience. It is not merely enough to conduct criminal background checks you must also conduct employee background checks as well. Trying to pull an owner from the belief that a mere review of a job application and an interview is enough of a pre-employment screening to the full understanding of what background checks can achieve is a monumental task.

A perfect example was the owner of a small clothing retailer with five locations located within a largely populated city. This owner had two speeds fast and stop. Trying to get him to sit down for a consultation was tough enough even though he was the one who contacted me for a LP consultation overview of his business. The main problem he had was shrink and he could not determine the source or sources of the bad inventory results.

 I took about a month to review all aspects of the five locations including interviewing all of the employees and management. What I found was staggering. Essentially there were five locations running five different businesses doing whatever each store manager felt was right for their own store. This included the pre-employment screening process. The hiring ranged from a job application and a five minute interview to a store manager who at least conducted two interviews and called for reference checks. There were no criminal background checks, no education checks and no employee background checks. In fact no one including the owner of the business ever entertained the idea of hiring a background check company to conduct background checks for the company.

I reported my results to the owner which included my thoughts on how the losses where occurring as well as the potential solutions to the shrink problem. I told him that his losses were mostly internal and that an in depth investigation would be required to pinpoint the problem employees. There were some minor administrative issues that were easily rectified but the staffing problem was not going to be so easily put to rest.

I explained to the owner that before he went and started replacing employees he needed to retain a company that employed true background check experts that would help him choose the right staff. I explained to the owner the cost of hiring and training an employee and that seemed to get his attention since he would now be losing several employees, the cost of hiring and training them and now have to hire additional employees and invest that training cost once again. We narrowed the choices down to one reputable background check company. This company offered criminal background checks from local to federal levels, educational background checks as well as employee background checks with very reasonable pricing. I was also impressed with the transparency of the company to reveal the backgrounds of their background check experts. This openness put the owner at ease to take the necessary step to put a proper pre employment screening process in place.

It took the owner about six months to sort out his employee theft issues as well as at the same time successfully implementing the new hiring process. He called it a labor of love that in the end kept him from losing his business. He is now one of the biggest proponents for small business owners to implement good hiring processes that screen potential employees before they are allowed to take position of employment.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre-employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547

Ensuring your company is conducting background checks is a good first step, however, it is important that your company conducts the correct level of criminal background checks and employee background checks. This is all a part of having a successful pre employment screening process. The background check experts all agree that one of the best ways to deter a potential thief from working with a company is a rigorous pre employment screening process that includes multiple interviews and pointed questions regarding employment and education history.

Unfortunately even companies with good intentions about having a successful pre employment screening strategy fall short due to not hiring a qualified background check company. They muddle about and conduct random criminal background checks which when not guided by background check experts usually does not encompass the correct areas where crimes may have been committed. Ultimately this leads to a false sense of security that can have devastating results. Another thing companies overlook is the employee background check, they figure a couple phone calls to companies written on a job application will suffice. This again will be a potentially costly mistake. Background check experts know exactly how to conduct an in depth employee background check which requires a significant amount of research. A good background check company will also be able to verify an employee’s education history as well as job and personal references.

Companies that do utilize a reputable background check company have access to background check experts that have worked in and around every type of business under the sun. The right background check expert is matched to a company and a pre employment screening strategy is custom made to fit the business like a glove. This process usually involves the human resource, loss prevention and legal departments. Once the company’s policy and procedures have been reviewed in detail then the strategy can be implemented. A potential employee will fill out a very detailed job application, a release form for background checks and provide a complete resume. The potential employee will then go through a multi level interview process conducted by different executives at each level. Then the employee will answer any and all questions that have arisen as a result of the completed background checks. Any hits at this point from a criminal background check that had not been addressed in the initial job application will effectively disqualify the applicant from procuring a position at the company in question.

It takes an investment of time to find the right background check company and formulate an all encompassing hiring process that protects your company, however but in the end it will guard your company from losses caused by bad employees. A company has the right to protect its employees and its profits and it starts with screening potential employees.

To purchase Pre-Employment Screening Services or for more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre-employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547