Commercial Insurance Blog

Mistakes were made.  There was an error in judgment.  I misspoke.  Sometimes we just say we’re sorry and move on.  We all have our “oops” moments and some come with bigger consequences than others.  Hiring the wrong employee can be one of those times that making a mistake carriers a bigger penalty than many other blunders. 

Recruitment costs, time and effort spent on-boarding the new hire, acclimating, and training all carry a fairly big price tag.  If the new hire just isn’t a good fit, at least money and perhaps lost productivity is potentially all you’ve lost; however, what happens when the person you expected to be your next star employee turns out to be a thief or a sexual predator? 

We’ve all read news accounts of the trusted employee who pilfered tens of thousands or even millions in company assets.  Worse, stories of people with violent criminal histories go undetected in the workplace until one day they “snap” and innocent colleagues or clients are seriously injured. 

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.  Background checks are designed to provide a glimpse into a job applicant’s history.  This isn’t to say that anyone who has ever been charged with a criminal offense, has a poor driving record or been fired from a previous job should be passed over when you are looking to hire a new employee.  The cost of a background check, and maybe a drug test, could prove to be the best investment in mitigating risk to the business when making an offer of employment.

What many employers may not realize is that all background checks are not created equal.  When selecting a company to perform pre-employment screening for you, select one that will take the time to help you understand where the records you seek come from, how far back they go, and what other information may be helpful in making an informed decision about the candidate you are considering. 

Questions to ask your background check company:

• Are you relying on a multi-jurisdictional database for criminal records research or providing a hands-on search at the county court level?
• Are you searching all jurisdictions where my applicant has resided, been employed or attended school for the past 10 years and all sex offender registries in the U.S. & territories?
• Are you searching under all names my applicant has used in the past 10 years or just their current name?
• When verifying previous employment are precautions taken to be sure you aren’t reaching a friend on a cell phone pretending to be the former employer?
• Can you assist us in creating custom background checks that are commensurate with the job responsibilities and inherent risks that go with each position we are hiring for?

Don’t be fooled by cheap, instant, online background check services.  This really isn’t the place to save a few bucks and risk the dangers, expenses and negative publicity an “oops” in this area could cause you. 

For more information, contact me at: david@SaferPlacesInc.com or visit our website at www.SaferPlacesInc.com