Employment Criminal Background Checks…Necessary?

August 27, 2010 by

Is an employee criminal background check really necessary? As a former Police Officer I came into contact with people every day that were not fit to be in the same community as the good people in society. This included individuals that caused serious injuries to others. They used weapons to harm, kill, rape and steal. The list goes on and on. I learned quickly that these people cared about themselves ONLY and most had no remorse even when caught.

Then as a loss prevention professional for several major businesses I have personally investigated over 2300 employees for mainly employee theft. I found that many of those same people are in the workforce. I guess the primary impression I have come away with from that is this: These types of employees WILL steal from a business and smile while they are doing it. The only remorse that the majority had was that they were caught. This applies to all ages, sex, race, religion….

Now add this to the fact that many different studies over the years conducted by many different organizations boils down to this: Approximately 20% of the work force has stolen from their employer. This is one in five of the people in the work force today and that work for you! You may not wish to believe this but it is FACT. And we are only talking about theft. This does not include other crimes.

Is an employment criminal background check necessary? It is not just necessary it is an absolute requirement, no compromise. Unless you do not mind wasting money, time, labor and loss of your cash and merchandise to learn the hard way.

Oh, by the way if you hire someone that is violent or prone to it and they injure, kill or harm in any way another employee or customer you will be held liable. Saying I didn’t know does not hold water. The courts lean towards the fact that you should have conducted a criminal background check because they are readily available at low cost.

I forgot to mention, I have seen hundreds of managers and business owners that have said something to me like “I know people, I don’t have people like that working for ME”. They are the ones that are really at danger because their ego out weighs their business sense. Remember one in five!

Don’t compromise on employment screening!

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

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

INVESTIGATION THROUGH PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING

August 24, 2010 by

Should employers actually check up on potential hires through pre-employment screening?  ABSOLUTELY!  A recent study showed that half of all reference checks conducted on prospective employees differed between what the job applicant provided and what the reference source reported.  Would a potential candidate actually lie on their resume or job application? In today’s job market, you better believe it!

Pre-employment screening through background checks, criminal or credit checks is a highly controversial topic.  Many people in the general public do not wish for their personal history to be poked through by some investigator.  Some people feel that the information that could be discovered is either irrelevant, or could be taken the wrong way, if the potential employer does not have all the facts.

One way to prevent harm to a potential employee is to provide them with the report prior to giving it to the employer.  This way, the individual can address any discrepancies on the front end.

In May, 2002, Northwest Airlines was hit with a civil lawsuit by 10,000 of its mechanics.  Basically Northwest was accused of using information that was past the 10 year limit set by some current laws.  According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, arrest records can remain for up to seven years.  Some credit information can remain for up to 10 years.

Employees working in the trucking industry, airports, ports of entry, cruise ships, etc will be subject to a pre-employment screening more often than other types of job categories.  Any employee who makes greater than $75,000 dollars per year may be subject to pre-employment screening and background checks that goes back for longer periods of time and contains more thorough information.

To gain assistance in your pre-employment screening and background checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Reasons for pre employment screening needs on the rise

August 20, 2010 by

Employers of all sizes are now conducting pre hire employment screening of some type and are looking at several areas. The obvious ones are:

A criminal background check probably comes to mind at or near top of the list.  Banking institutions or retailers seeking to hire individuals who will be handling potentially thousands of dollars per day want to be sure there is no record of theft and so on.

A driving records check obviously makes good sense if an employee will be using a company vehicle.  A bad record will cause insurance rates to soar.

A credit check will give a great idea of how a person manager their money which will translate into many roles across many industries.  A bad manager at home will not likely do miracles at work.

A public records check will show court record like bankruptcies, lawsuits and judgments that could be unwanted baggage for the employer.

Worker’s compensation claims checks are gaining popularity. There are individuals who have a pattern of filing claims wherever they work and again it is possible to avoid potential problems there.

One reason to conduct employment screening employers may not consider, but could possibly rank at the top of the list is to avoid a negligent hiring lawsuit.  If an employee harms others intentionally on the job and it is found that the employer did not conduct pre employment screening on the individual and that they had a violent past… this makes the employer liable in the eyes of the plaintiffs and their legal representation.

For more info contact the experts at employment screening

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Avoid Negligent Hiring Through Pre Employment Background Checks

August 6, 2010 by

One of the most undervalued benefits of conducting  pre employment  background checks is that the fact that a company performs employment screening can be a defense against a negligent hiring lawsuit.

Imagine that an employee who has customer contact on a regular basis suddenly loses his temper and attacks and injures one of your customers.  A suit is filed against the employee, your company, and you for damages suffered by the customer, now known as “Plaintiff”.

Now imagine that plaintiff’s attorney introduces evidence that his client, your former customer, had numerous previous arrests and convictions for aggressive behavior, including assault and battery.  Plaintiff’s attorney contends that you, as the employer knew, or should have known, that the employee would assault someone based on his prior history.

If you don’t conduct pre employment background checks on all your new hires, then you may as well go ahead and write a large check ot to the plaintiff.

Now, even if you had done a background check and it came back clean, at least you made an effort to weed out the bad hires, and you have made an attempt at due diligence.

Employers should make an effort to hire honest, productive employees, a process that should include  employee background checks.

Go to: employee background checks to learn more about how to improve your pre employment screening process.

Filed Under: Pre-employment screening Tagged With: , , ,

Use a Background Check Company To Reduce Your Losses

August 5, 2010 by

Many retail loss prevention experts agree, and numerous studies confirm, that the largest percentage of shrink – unexplained inventory losses – and cash shortages are caused by employee theft, which is why so many use a background check company for pre hire screening.

The question retailers having a problem with employee theft might ask themselves is: Did I hire a thief or did my policies and procedures encourage an honest person to steal?

An employer can’t know for certain what is in the mind of his potential employee. But he can check into the employee’s past to determine if there is a propensity for property crimes like theft, or crimes of violence such as assault and/or battery through a search conducted by a background check company.

The past of an applicant can be revealed by a criminal history check in the jurisdiction where the applicant resides by an examination of public records relating to arrests, convictions, and sentences handed down by the courts. Although a past record is not an absolute indicator of future actions, it can be argued that a person with multiple arrests for similar types of crimes might be expected to revert to that behavior at some point.

A person’s history of drug or alcohol abuse might also be revealed.

If your employees have access to your property and cash, or have contact with the public, a background investigation can reduce a business owner’s losses as well as his possible liability for an employee’s actions.

It makes sense to start with an honest employee.

Go to Background Screening to learn more about incorporating a background check company into your pre hire screening.

Filed Under: Background Screening, Criminal Histories, Pre-employment screening, Preventing Theft Tagged With: , ,

Employment Screening and Credit Reports

August 5, 2010 by

There are many employers that obtain an individual’s credit report as part of the employment screening process, while many others do not.

There have been several attempts at both the state and national levels to prohibit an employer from using the credit report of an applicant or employee for employment purposes. The most recent is HR 3149, the Equal Employment for All Act, sponsored by Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN).

As of today, the FCRA allows the procurement of a consumer report, including a credit report, as permissible for employment purposes.

Employers and businesses generally maintain that a credit report is useful in screening applicants for certain sensitive positions, those that have responsibility for cash or assets. The report is considered only as part of a comprehensive background screening process that includes verification of employment, education, criminal history, identity, reference checks, and interviews, among other factors. Employers feel that they can legitimately use this information to make the best possible choice among candidates.

What is the value of an individual’s credit report for an employer?

Since there is no lending involved, a credit score is not provided on an report for employment purposes, and therefore has no effect on the decision to hire. What is included may determine if the applicant has excessive debt, pays bill responsibly, has debts in collection, or has an extravagant lifestyle based on overuse of credit cards. The employer may consider the amount of pressure that may be put on a potential employer by collectors as a factor, or whether the applicant has shown good judgment in his own financial dealings.

The wise employer will consider extenuating circumstances in assessing the credit report of an applicant. Certainly today’s economy and unexpected job loss are factors to consider, as well as unavoidable medical bills which can have a tendency to pile up, even on those who have medical insurance.

For more information go to: Employment Screening

Filed Under: Credit Histories, Pre-employment screening Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page