Background checks

Timeliness of Employee Background Checks

November 8, 2010 by Staff Editor

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.

Reasons to Conduct Background Checks

November 5, 2010 by Staff Editor

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, criminal background check, employment screening, pre employment

Workplace Violence Screened by Background Checks

November 3, 2010 by Staff Editor

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, criminal background check, employment screening, pre employment

You Have to Give SHRM Credit

November 1, 2010 by Staff Editor

You Have to Give SHRM Credit

There is legislation pending before congress that would remove credit background checks from employers’ pre employment screening programs. The bill HR 3149, the Equal Opportunity for All Act, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-TN, and is currently as of October assigned to committee.

Colleen Parker Denston, Human Resources Director at a Maryland prep school and a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) testified on behalf of that organization before the subcommittee considering the bill.

Ms. Denson stated, “There is compelling public interest in ensuring that employers can assess the skills, abilities, work habits, and integrity of potential hires. Credit histories, like other aspects of the background check process, are but one piece of information HR professionals use to evaluate whether an individual should be hired.”

SHRM surveys on employers’ background checks have shown that the use of credit histories have not increased in recent years, despite changes in the economy.

There seems to be a common misconception among opponents of credit histories used in the pre employment process that a certain credit score may eliminate an applicant from consideration, or that unfortunate circumstances such as medical bills or job loss may affect a candidate’s employability.

In actuality, credit reports for employment purposes are restricted from providing a credit score, and most companies using credit reports for employment screening tend to look at the overall credit picture rather than specific slip ups contained in the report. Most companies use the credit report only as one small part of a larger snapshot of a candidate being considered in the employment screening process.

For more information on the use of credit reports in pre employment screening, call 770-426-0547 or click here to email.

This blog does not represent any official SHRM viewpoint and is informational only.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, employment screening, pre employment

Why Use a Background Check Company?

October 29, 2010 by Staff Editor

Why Use a Background Check Company?

Employers are aware that they should conduct background checks of some sort on their prospective employees. Depending on the level of employee they are considering, the might want to know: criminal history; credit history; judgments or liens; driving record; residence information; education and employment confirmation; and the list can go on and on.

Employers could probably gather all this information together themselves, but it would take a lot of time and effort to make it happen. The smarter move would be to use a background check company that has the expertise and the contacts to get employers the information they need when they need it, and at a price that is a good value.

When shopping for a background check company, don’t be afraid to ask questions regarding where they obtain their information, how soon do they return the results to the employers, and are there any additional charges or fees. A respectable background company will gladly provide this information to their potential clients so that there are no questions later. The company conducting background checks, because of the volume they produce, are generally able to leverage good pricing and service from their suppliers and pass the speed and savings on to their own customers.

Also ask if there are any discounts for packages of services or for volume of requests. Most any background check company will negotiate if there are large amounts of services requested by the customer.

Find out who at the background check company will be your point of contact and be comfortable that your questions will be answered by someone with experience and knowledge in conducting background checks.

For answers to your questions about background checks, call 770-426-0547 or click here to email an expert.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, Background checks

The Importance of Employee Background Checks

October 29, 2010 by Staff Editor

Employee background checks are a must in today’s business climate. It’s your responsibility as an employer to know who’s working for you.

Furthermore, it’s in your best interest to be aware of the real face your company is showing to the public. In this new era with so many social networking sites online you may not even need an in-depth check to know if someone is right for you. I once had a colleague look up a prospective new hire on MySpace. This guy, who had come in for his interview clean-cut, professional and knowing just the right things to say, was in his profile picture posing with a joint, a bottle of whiskey and a 9mm pistol. Nice, right? I’ll give you 1 guess as to whether “thug life” got the job.

In addition to the obvious problems of possible theft, loss of profit and increased employee turnover that can happen as a result of not doing employee background checks , companies can be held liable under the doctrine of negligent hiring. If the court can prove that an employer knew, or should have known negative facts about an employee’s background that should have disqualified him from the job the company can be found at fault.

For example, someone with 6 speeding tickets and a DUI shouldn’t be your next delivery driver. A quick peek into their past can reveal such a driving history. Don’t do one and they cause a 10 car pile-up on the freeway off-ramp and guess who could be found liable? It is in your best interest as an employer, and in the best interest of society at large, for you to do thorough employee background checks on everyone who works for you.

For more information contact us at employee background checks or call 1.770.426.0547

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, employee background checks

Background Checks and Social Media

October 27, 2010 by Staff Editor

Background Checks and Social Media

If your pre employment screening efforts consist of Google and Facebook, you are not getting the information you need to make a good hiring decision. In fact, the information you get from the internet may be worse than no information at all.

In the world of corporate HR, two words you will hear fairly consistently are… fairly and consistently.

Using a social site like MySpace or Facebook as a pre employment tool poses several potential problems. Are you checking every applicant online, or just a few? What if the applicant’s personal page shows that he or she is of a particular religion or race? Suppose they belong to a group whose views you don’t happen to agree with? How about if there is a picture of the applicant in a bar? And remember, most of the content that is on an applicant’s social media site is information that he or she is putting out there for everyone to see. It may not actually be representative of the individual or his behavior.

If you then don’t hire the candidate, could there be a problem? Possibly.

Using the Google Search Engine may also present problems, as results being returned to you might not be the person you are interested in. Even unusual names can be duplicated in the vastness of the internet, so that your results may be totally inaccurate. Then it is up to you to determine if the person is the correct one. And accuracy is what you want in pre employment background checks, and you want to apply all your employment screening standards fairly and consistently.

Neither of these will provide information that is actually useful on its own in pre employment screening. At best, it should be used only in addition to employee background checks conducted by a trusted background check company.

Use your background check company as a valued business partner helping you define an effective employment screening program that is applied fairly and consistently to all applicants.

To discuss your pre employment screening policies, contact us by calling 770-426-0547 or click here to email.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, Background checks, employee background checks, employment screening, pre employment

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

October 25, 2010 by Staff Editor

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: background check company, Background checks, criminal background check, employee background checks, employment screening, pre employment

Are Volunteer Background Checks Necessary?

October 22, 2010 by Staff Editor

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, criminal background check, employment screening

Background Checks and Employee Promotions or Retention

October 20, 2010 by Staff Editor

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Background checks, criminal background check