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. 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. We see a significant spike in this sort of scenario during the holidays. 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 hired 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.

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

Customer service has become possibly the most important factor in the business decisions that we make today. From our policies and procedures to how we staff our buildings, the customer comes first. In a tough economy, this becomes even more important. When a customer walks into the building they expect that we have hired the right people and completed pre employment screening of our employees. They expect that they are coming to a place where they can trust our employees and believe what we tell them because we are a business of integrity. If we do not complete criminal background checks of all our employees, we are opening up the door for this image to be tarnished. Most of all I want my customers to feel safe. Hiring a background check company gives me the confidence to know that my employees have never been convicted of a violent crime.

Background checks ensure we have the right people in place to serve our customers. Employee background checks make me comfortable that my employees are going to be honest with the customer and do their best to get the customer what they need. When I hire background check experts to conduct pre employment screening it reassures me that I have made the right hiring decision, and that my employees are going to act with integrity.

For the security of my business and the safety of my customers and employees, I owe it to them and myself to conduct employee background checks on all of my new hires.

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 

 

Criminal background checks are just one element of a comprehensive pre employment screening program because criminal records are just one of the many indicators that will help you determine the suitability of a candidate.

Here are few examples of criminal background checks that can help you understand how pre employment screening can protect your company.

Example #1:  Let’s say you are charged with hiring a truck driver that will deliver drugs for a healthcare facility.  The background check company you’ve hired returns unfavorable employee background check results that indicate the candidate has two previous convictions that are drug related.  If you had not conducted employee background checks on all potential new hires you may have given the keys to a drug locker to a known criminal with a history of drug abuse.

Example #2: Let’s say you run a shuttle service and one of your employees assaults a customer while in transit to any given destination.  After the incident it’s discovered that the employee has a history of violent crime but your position, as the employer, is that you did everything you could to set yourself up to make a good hiring decision before the suspect was extended an employment offer.

The victim later sues your company and using public information that can be found on the internet a law firm uncovers the suspects’ criminal history.  Your argument is not going to stand up in court and an incident that could have been prevented by hiring a background check company will now potentially bankrupt your company and will undoubtedly destroy your reputation in the community.

I hope this blog has helped you understand the importance of conducting background checks on potential new hires.  Background check experts have the expertise to perform background checks and this investment will protect your interests.

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 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 very tough 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.

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

 

It is a sad sign of the times that companies are practically required to perform background checks on every applicant submitting a resume.  Unfortunately, no matter how depressing such a fact may be, it is a necessary action to protect your company from people who would pose a serious threat to the future of not only your company, but the livelihoods of all who make an honest living in it.  They may not be convicted thieves or acquitted murderers, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have skeletons in the closet that should be brought to light.

Most applicants aren’t going to be so honest and forthcoming to tell you they were terminated from a previous job because they were caught stealing, or perhaps they were embroiled in some scandal involving bigotry or racial slurs.  Thankfully, that information is available through the use of employee background checks perpetrated by trained background check experts.  The process is as thorough as you need it to be; and of course the deeper you wish the background check to be, the longer it takes for the information to be gathered and compiled.  But of course the extensiveness of pre employment screening is entirely a prerogative based on the position you are trying to fill.  You wouldn’t want someone who had been arrested for sale and possession of stolen goods to be working in a distribution warehouse, would you?  That’s why we have things like criminal background checks.  They are not meant to embarrass or harm a person’s future; whatever bad history a background check reveals is the result of said person’s previous actions and possible current disposition.  Why should you risk them bringing such harm to you and your company when you can so easily afford to avoid it?

 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 

Do you know how much it cost to hire an employee? It’s not just the price you pay per hour worked. That is only the beginning. When I look at employee retention and unnecessary turnover, I calculate the true cost of a new hire.

I need to have a base wage for the associate. Then I need to determine how many hours of training am I going to give them. I will then need to add in the hours it takes for their trainer to adequately train them on proper execution of company standards and tasks. Realistically, I should also know how many hours it will take this associate to really work at full speed once they are done with formalized training. Should I include the payroll used to compensate for the trainer and trainee’s unproductive time (while in the training mode)? Yep! And don’t forget, I have to spend time training the trainer to make sure they know what to do.

That is a lot of payroll!

Imagine if you hire someone who turns out to be a total deadbeat. Not only will you end up replacing that associate, but also you potentially will lose your good associates along the way.

Taking the time to run pre employment screening and background checks will help save money in the long run. Hiring the right candidate the first time will save countless hours of payroll dollars. Background checks are designed to weed out the bad apples so you can focus on running a successful business, not a perpetual training facility.

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 

Critical thinking is defined in the 2009 Pearson Education as follows: A business leader who thinks clearly, sorts through the clutter and anticipates well is using his or her critical thinking skills. A large amount of companies are using a critical thinking assessment prior to hiring or promoting candidates for management positions. Using this definition, it is not so far fetched that background checks should be just as important as a soft skill like critical thinking.

Pre employment screening is critical to successfully hiring a candidate. Running a thorough and comprehensive background check lays the foundation for what you as a company require from your personnel. You are sending a message to all potential candidates that you expect and will only accept the best. Good behaviors in both professional and personal lives are required for your open position.

I always recommend following up pre employment screening with an additional background check before an employee is promoted. It continues to reinforce your acceptance of only the best person for the position. No one can loosen the reigns on their personal lives, just because they have been hired on to your company.

Going back to that definition of a critical thinker, each of those traits will shine through in a background check. Did they anticipate well for their financial future and stay out of uncontrollable debt? Did they think clearly in difficult or stressful situations and avoid run ins with the law? Were they able to sort through personal clutter to stay gainfully employed versus termination?

Use your assessments to find critical thinkers. Use background checks to reiterate their level of success.

 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 you think about employee background checks, you don’t often think about how they might stop internal theft. I had an issue a few years ago with a group of my employees who were stealing from our company.

 There was one associate who would make his purchases with his friend at the customer service desk. That was all within policy. What wasn’t in policy was the additional merchandise that was not rung up. It was thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. After we questioned him, he told us it was all being shipped back to his native country.

 When we went to question the other three associates involved, we could not locate them. They quit or walked out of the store while we questioned the first employee. We took the case to our local law enforcement who then began to search for these individuals.

 After several individuals were brought into the police station, it was clear that the employees we had hired used fake IDs with stolen information. We have yet to locate our ex- employees.

 Had we been background check experts, we might have been able to catch the discrepancy when these individuals first applied for jobs. Had we hired background check experts, they would have done what we could not. Running adequate employee background checks aren’t just about did they have any prior convictions. It is a way for pre employment screening to do its job and tell you the person you are hiring is EXACTLY who you think it is.

 If we had done this in the first place, we might have saved us thousands in stolen merchandise and valuable resources in tracking them down.

 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 you think about employee background checks, you don’t often think about how they might stop internal theft. I had an issue a few years ago with a group of my employees who were stealing from our company.

There was one associate who would make his purchases with his friend at the customer service desk. That was all within policy. What wasn’t in policy was the additional merchandise that was not rung up. It was thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. After we questioned him, he told us it was all being shipped back to his native country.

When we went to question the other three associates involved, we could not locate them. They quit or walked out of the store while we questioned the first employee. We took the case to our local law enforcement who then began to search for these individuals.

After several individuals were brought into the police station, it was clear that the employees we had hired used fake IDs with stolen information. We have yet to locate our ex- employees.

Had we been background check experts, we might have been able to catch the discrepancy when these individuals first applied for jobs. Had we hired background check experts, they would have done what we could not. Running adequate employee background checks isn’t just about whether or not the employee may have had prior convictions. It is a way for pre employment screening to do its job and tell you the person you are hiring is EXACTLY who you think it is.

If we had done this in the first place, we might have saved us thousands in stolen merchandise and valuable resources in tracking them down.

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 biggest threats to the stability of any business is internal theft.  It can take many forms and be committed by people who you may believe are beyond trustworthy.  Beyond implementing round-the-clock surveillance on all of your employees to ensure they aren’t robbing you there is another way to make sure you can trust your staff.

Requiring pre employment screening and criminal background checks for all new hires is a surefire way to weed out large swaths of undesirables before they even make it to the interview process.  Depending on the type of positions you are trying to fill you can even, in most cases, request the background check experts make the pre employment screening rather precise in what it is screening for.  For example, should you be hiring for a position that requires a large amount of driving, it would be foolish not to eliminate applicants with a history of not adhering to traffic laws.

Employee background checks can also be implemented at will should you feel the need to do so.  If utilized in a manner similar to random drug screenings or as a tool to screen employees who may be up for a promotion, these background checks can serve as a safeguard against allowing people to gain greater responsibilities within the company. 

If it wasn’t for such a situation, the company I work for would have promoted a woman who had apparently been arrested for check cashing fraud at a nearby casino a year AFTER she had been originally hired.  Thankfully, through the use of required advancement background checks this woman was never elevated to a position that would have granted her access to nightly store deposits. 

 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