Nine times out of ten, even the smartest business doesn't look for an employment screening service until they've already been victimized. It's normal for people to be unprepared - most people who haven't run into tragedy always think it can't happen to them. But if you take a few minutes to look at the facts, the pure shock will drive any thoughtful business owner to take action!
So, what do you need to know once you've decided to pursue employment screening? Here are the basics:
Fact #1: Employment screening companies are closely regulated by the government...
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires you to give written notice when you're conducting a background check on a potential employee, and if you take any action as a result of that information, you have to tell them the details of what you learned. It's important to cover all your bases to avoid a lawsuit from a disgruntled employee. That's not all -
Fact #2: You can be held legally liable for failing to do a background check.
It's called negligent hiring. According to the results of numerous civil suits, employers are expected to have basic knowledge about employees that interface with customers and the public. According to USA Today, Employers lose 79% of every negligent hiring suit that's brought to court. And the average jury plaintiff award in employment law cases? Over 1.6 million dollars!
Fact #3: Criminal history alone isn't always grounds to dismiss an employee.
The prospect of hiring someone with a criminal background can make many business owners nervous. But legally, your nervousness isn't grounds for dismissal. A prospective employer has to take the seriousness of a criminal offense and its relevancy to your industry into account before taking any action.
Fact #4: Online screening services are a waste of time.
If your business is on a budget, you can be tempted to pay a few dollars a month to membership to a website boasting some massive national database for employment screening.
But the vast majority of online background checking services check in the state or county of residence for the subject. In many cases, that's completely harmless, but if you've actually got something to hide, wouldn't you take some basic action to elude those kinds of searches?
Fact #5: Criminal record searches aren't through.
Public records and criminal background searches don't give a complete picture of an employee or prospect. You should also give thought to:
Aliases.Active arrest warrants.Civil suits.Social media profiles.Other jobs websites.If you aren't looking at that, then you're getting left behind and missing out on possible red flags. It's vitally important to check out all possible leads relating to the background of a prospective employee. Who they talk to, their conduct after hours, their public profile, and other items from their past could come into play.
A quality private investigator can go a long way in streamlining the employment screening process. A lack of resources isn't an excuse to skimp on this - in business, your success depends on your word and your reputation, and the people you hire have a greater impact on that reputation than almost anything else.
If you want to get professional advice on employment screening, contact Huntting PI right now at http://www.privateinvestigatorservices.org/ for a no-cost, no-pressure consultation.
