Pre-employment screening – 5 WC blog 107
Background Check company-4
Getting To Know Employees Is Great, BEFORE They Are Hired; Use Pre-Employment Screening
I have worked as a retail manager and as a supervisor in a university library. Part of my responsibilities includes hiring and being sure applicants are free of criminal backgrounds. The University automatically runs pre-employment screenings and my retail employer did as well once I submitted my choice for hiring. For business owners who are not part of a government agency or a national chain, it may be up to the owner to make hiring decisions. If you are that owner, do you make the effort to have background checks run on your prospective employee? From my experience in retail, I found that often the employees who were stealing were doing so because they worked in an area where there could not be a supervisor all the time, such as in a stockroom. Cashiers who were caught stealing often did so because supervisors did not have a significant amount of time to train and coach, they were busy trying to keep lines down, getting change for registers, addressing transaction problems and so forth. How much time do your employees work unsupervised? Can you be in your business 24/7? A background check company can help you feel more at ease about the people you hire.
What a background check company can do for you is they can check on an applicant’s past. Many people think that such checks are limited in scope, but a background check company can verify an applicant’s educational experience. In the retail company I worked for executives were required to hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Anyone can put down whatever they want on an application and if no one is running a check you are taking their word for it and you have no idea who this person is. Does your business have a vehicle or vehicles for day to day operations? They can check the driving record of an employee you are allowing to get behind the wheel of your car or truck. And yes, criminal history is an important part of what a pre-employment screening can do for you.
Has this applicant done anything that should concern you? It may be they had a misdemeanor on their record and you are willing to give that person a chance. But what if the applicant has more serious charges that might be an indicator of the behavior they might exhibit in your business with your customers or your other employees? Recently in my research for information on other topics I started coming across some stories in the home healthcare sector that peaked my curiosity. I noticed quite a few cases of home healthcare workers who were arrested for stealing from the people who were in their care. Please understand that this is not an indictment on home healthcare workers. As with any group, the vast majority of employees care about the patients they are assigned to help. They do work long hours and difficult shifts, and I had a relative and a close friend who were both under the care of very good home health care providers. These workers do work with little supervision and are in positions that give them the opportunity to steal from people who are vulnerable. In one case in Greenwich, Connecticut, a home health aid was accused of stealing a total of $163,177 from a 90 year old woman under her care. As reported by greenwichtime.com, on May 1, 2015, the suspect had two other larceny arrests on her record. Additionally, the home health care company that hired the suspect, “would not discuss screening practices” (referring to pre-employment screening).
In another case, a woman was arrested after being accused of stealing more than $25,000 from a client. According to Chron.com, in a Dec. 21, 2015 article, the home healthcare worker was on probation for an earlier case of welfare fraud. In this case, the son stated that background checks did not include fingerprinting so that was how the employee covered her history. While that may be true in this instance, I would argue that a thorough pre-employment screening by a reputable company should be able to uncover a questionable past.
Regardless of the type of business you operate, checking out who your prospective employees are before you hire them only makes good sense. A reputable background check company can conduct solid pre-employment screenings and minimize your risk of bringing the wrong person onto your team.
A Background Check Company is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
I have worked as a retail manager and as a supervisor in a university library. Part of my responsibilities includes hiring and being sure applicants are free of criminal backgrounds. The University automatically runs pre-employment screenings and my retail employer did as well once I submitted my choice for hiring. For business owners who are not part of a government agency or a national chain, it may be up to the owner to make hiring decisions. If you are that owner, do you make the effort to have background checks run on your prospective employee? From my experience in retail, I found that often the employees who were stealing were doing so because they worked in an area where there could not be a supervisor all the time, such as in a stockroom. Cashiers who were caught stealing often did so because supervisors did not have a significant amount of time to train and coach, they were busy trying to keep lines down, getting change for registers, addressing transaction problems and so forth. How much time do your employees work unsupervised? Can you be in your business 24/7? A background check company can help you feel more at ease about the people you hire.
What a background check company can do for you is they can check on an applicant’s past. Many people think that such checks are limited in scope, but a background check company can verify an applicant’s educational experience. In the retail company I worked for executives were required to hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Anyone can put down whatever they want on an application and if no one is running a check you are taking their word for it and you have no idea who this person is. Does your business have a vehicle or vehicles for day to day operations? They can check the driving record of an employee you are allowing to get behind the wheel of your car or truck. And yes, criminal history is an important part of what a pre-employment screening can do for you.
Has this applicant done anything that should concern you? It may be they had a misdemeanor on their record and you are willing to give that person a chance. But what if the applicant has more serious charges that might be an indicator of the behavior they might exhibit in your business with your customers or your other employees? Recently in my research for information on other topics I started coming across some stories in the home healthcare sector that peaked my curiosity. I noticed quite a few cases of home healthcare workers who were arrested for stealing from the people who were in their care. Please understand that this is not an indictment on home healthcare workers. As with any group, the vast majority of employees care about the patients they are assigned to help. They do work long hours and difficult shifts, and I had a relative and a close friend who were both under the care of very good home health care providers. These workers do work with little supervision and are in positions that give them the opportunity to steal from people who are vulnerable. In one case in Greenwich, Connecticut, a home health aid was accused of stealing a total of $163,177 from a 90 year old woman under her care. As reported by greenwichtime.com, on May 1, 2015, the suspect had two other larceny arrests on her record. Additionally, the home health care company that hired the suspect, “would not discuss screening practices” (referring to pre-employment screening).
In another case, a woman was arrested after being accused of stealing more than $25,000 from a client. According to Chron.com, in a Dec. 21, 2015 article, the home healthcare worker was on probation for an earlier case of welfare fraud. In this case, the son stated that background checks did not include fingerprinting so that was how the employee covered her history. While that may be true in this instance, I would argue that a thorough pre-employment screening by a reputable company should be able to uncover a questionable past.
Regardless of the type of business you operate, checking out who your prospective employees are before you hire them only makes good sense. A reputable background check company can conduct solid pre-employment screenings and minimize your risk of bringing the wrong person onto your team.
A Background Check Company is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.
Alpha Spider Wrap-5 WC blog 116
Retail Anti-Theft Devices-4
Properly Applying Alpha Spider Wrap Promotes Sales And Improves Customer Service
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I was introduced to Alpha Spider Wrap and since then I have seen a huge growth in the use of this retail anti-theft device in many different retailers. Sometimes it is placed appropriately on merchandise and other times it is obvious to me someone did not truly understand what they were doing when they attempted to protect merchandise with it. Spider wrap can be an effective way to prevent shoplifting but like any tool, it has to be used properly to be doing the job it was intended to do.
Before I get more specific about how these retail anti-theft devices can be improperly placed, I need to discuss what Alpha Spider Wrap is and what it does. The device has wires that are connected in a main disc and there are two looped wires that extend out the sides. The looped wires extend and retract as needed to fit around the item to be protected. When the proper length is determined, the loops are clasped together and the device is tightened to a snug fit around a box. The wires form a circuit so that if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires, a tamper alarm in the device sounds a high, piercing noise. The wraps are also designed to set off electronic article surveillance antennas if carried through the antennas.
When used properly, as I mentioned above, the Alpha Spider Wrap wires surround a boxed item and it is tight enough that the wires cannot be manipulated or forced over the sides of the box. The protection of retail anti-theft devices give the retailer the ability to display high dollar items on the sales floor and allows customers to pick up and carry merchandise. This flexibility for the retailer allows them to not have to lock everything up in a display case. Customers don’t need to wait for someone with a key to walk by and unlock the case; show the merchandise and either put it back again or walk it to the register to ring the purchase. Frequently this will drive sales up because customers don’t have to wait for service. In fact, according to Help Scout.net, quoting from a 2011 American Express Survey, “78% of customers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience”.
If then one of the benefits of Alpha Spider Wrap is to provide a better service experience by allowing customer access to merchandise, I have to wonder at some of the things I see in some stores. For example, in one store I have observed several boxes of a high dollar headphone set secured with the wraps. This would have been perfect except that the store then had a cable running through all the retail anti-theft devices and securing everything to the shelf. What was the point of using spider wraps if they were going to secure the merchandise down? On at least one occasion I saw wrapped merchandise in a locking display case. Again, I have question to point of using the device if an associate is still required to unlock the case to show it to a customer?
The other issue I see, even in the store I work in, is that the wrap is not tight enough on a box. When there is too much play in the cords, the wrap can be slipped off the box without setting off the tamper alarm. Sometimes the looseness is due to a plastic hang tab that is too stiff and thick and prevents the employee from tightening the wires enough. This can be avoided by either cutting off the hang tab or putting the wire next to it and cranking the device closed. Another problem arises when the wrong sized wrap is used. There are different size wraps and if someone applies a large wrap to a box that is too small it is possible the device can’t be tightened enough to prevent some play in the strands. The remedy is simply to have large and small wraps on hand to ensure the right equipment is used for the right item.
Don’t make customers wait in line for lock up display cases to be opened in order to get products. Proper application and use of Alpha Spider Wrap can promote customer service and drive up sales.
Need information on Alpha Spider Wrap? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
When I was a Loss Prevention Manager I was introduced to the Alpha Spider Wrap and since then I have seen a huge growth in the use of this retail anti-theft device in many different retailers. Sometimes it is placed appropriately on merchandise and other times it is obvious to me someone did not truly understand what they were doing when they attempted to protect merchandise with it. Spider wrap can be an effective way to prevent shoplifting but like any tool, it has to be used properly to be doing the job it was intended to do.
Before I get more specific about how these retail anti-theft devices can be improperly placed, I need to discuss what Alpha Spider Wrap is and what it does. The device has wires that are connected in a main disc and there are two looped wires that extend out the sides. The looped wires extend and retract as needed to fit around the item to be protected. When the proper length is determined, the loops are clasped together and the device is tightened to a snug fit around a box. The wires form a circuit so that if a shoplifter attempts to cut one of the wires, a tamper alarm in the device sounds a high piercing noise. The wraps are also designed to set off electronic article surveillance antennas if carried through the antennas.
When used properly, as I mentioned above, the Alpha Spider Wrap wires surround a boxed item and it is tight enough that the wires cannot be manipulated or forced over the sides of the box. The protection of retail anti-theft devices give the retailer the ability to display high dollar items on the sales floor and allows customers to pick up and carry merchandise. This flexibility for the retailer allows them to not have to lock everything up in a display case. Customers don’t need to wait for someone with a key to walk by and unlock the case; show the merchandise and either put it back again or walk it to the register to ring the purchase. Frequently this will drive sales up because customers don’t have to wait for service. In fact, according to Help Scout.net, quoting from a 2011 American Express Survey, “78% of customers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience”.
If then one of the benefits of the Alpha Spider Wrap is to provide a better service experience by allowing customer access to merchandise, I have to wonder at some of the things I see in some stores. For example, in one store I have observed several boxes of a high dollar headphone set secured with the wraps. This would have been perfect except that the store then had a cable running through all the retail anti-theft devices and securing everything to the shelf. What was the point of using spider wraps if they were going to secure the merchandise down? On at least one occasion I saw wrapped merchandise in a locking display case. Again, I have question to point of using the device if an associate is still required to unlock the case to show it to a customer?
The other issue I see, even in the store I work in, is that the wrap is not tight enough on a box. When there is too much play in the cords, the wrap can be slipped off the box without setting off the tamper alarm. Sometimes the looseness is due to a plastic hang tab that is too stiff and thick and prevents the employee from tightening the wires enough. This can be avoided by either cutting off the hang tab or putting the wire next to it and cranking the device closed. Another problem arises when the wrong sized wrap is used. There are different size wraps and if someone applies a large wrap to a box that is too small it is possible the device can’t be tightened enough to prevent some play in the strands. The remedy is simply to have large and small wraps on hand to ensure the right equipment is used for the right item.
Don’t make customers wait in line for lock up display cases to be opened in order to get products. Proper application and use of Alpha Spider Wrap can promote customer service and drive up sales.
Need information on Alpha Spider Wrap? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
Tablet Theft-4 , CPN10-3 , Thunder Tag-3 , CP Systems-1
Theft In The Medical Office-It Could Be An Inside Job
I took my husband to a follow up appointment from his surgery recently because I was the primary person changing his dressings and I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. When the nurse came in to change them, he asked if I had everything at home I needed to continue for the next couple of weeks. I told him I was running a little low, but I would check at a home health store for the stuff I needed. He walked out of the room for a moment and then came back in with a bag of supplies, including tweezers, bandage scissors, and bandage rolls. He told me to put the bag in my purse and to not tell the doctor he’d given it to me. I did as I was told, but I wondered later if I had done the right thing. Theft from doctor’s offices is actually a pretty common occurrence, mostly just rubber gloves and such, but it can get worse. Money comes up missing from the drawer where they keep patient’s cash payments. An electronic tablet or i-pad theft occurs after the office invests in new technologies. In many cases, it’s not just the patients and their families that the staff has to watch now; internal theft can be a major issue in the medical field too.
Let’s take the i-pad or tablet theft situation. With many doctor’s offices converting to electronic records and more advanced ways to share medical information, these expensive devices are showing up not just in the exam rooms, but in the waiting room as well. Patients use them to check in for their appointments and update their contact information as well. What happens when the patient takes it back to the exam room with them and suddenly it has disappeared? Obviously, everyone will point the finger at the patient themselves or a member of their family that came with them when the tablet theft is discovered. But what if they did give the tablet back as they will surely claim? What if the nurse or assistant simply hid the tablet until they can retrieve it to take home at the end of the day? The patient will be blamed and possibly banned from the practice and no one is the wiser.
We can’t control others motives for stealing, and it’s always harder to deal with when the case is internal. It can happen with a long term employee just as easily as with a new hire. The employee may be under extreme financial pressure, or have a gambling problem. They may have an addiction for luxury spending. They may rationalize an i-pad theft to help themselves since the doctor makes so much money and can afford a new one. Or, just like above, they could see an opportunity and decide to act on it. While you can’t control what motivates people to steal, you can control your surroundings and protect your assets with some new offerings by Checkpoint Systems.
Designed for small spaces and professional settings, the Checkpoint N10, combined with the Thunder Tag, is the way to protect those valuable electronics from external as well as internal theft. The Checkpoint N10 has the same capabilities as its counterparts used in department stores to monitor inventory. But it is smaller and sleeker and will not detract from the setting or atmosphere of a doctor’s office. The Thunder Tag is actually a device that is adhered to the tablet or i-pad and it is the catalyst that will alert staff via the Checkpoint N10 if a theft attempt occurs. If a patient or employee tampers with the Thunder Tag or tries to remove it, it will self-alarm as well. A doctor’s office can fail and go under financially just as easily as a retail establishment. The bills have to be paid and the office equipment that is bought must be maintained and accounted for.
Want more information on the Checkpoint N10 System now? Give us a call: 1.770.426.0547
I took my husband to a follow up appointment from his surgery recently because I was the primary person changing his dressings and I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. hen the nurse came in to change them, he asked if I had everything at home I needed to continue for the next couple of weeks. I told him I was running a little low, but I would check at a home health store for the stuff I needed. He walked out of the room for a moment and then came back in with a bag of supplies, including tweezers, bandage scissors, and bandage rolls. He told me to put the bag in my purse and to not tell the doctor he’d given it to me. I did as I was told, but I wondered later if I had done the right thing. Theft from doctor’s offices is actually a pretty common occurrence, mostly just rubber gloves and such, but it can get worse. Money comes up missing from the drawer where they keep patient’s cash payments. An electronic tablet theft or i-pad theft occurs after the office invests in new technologies. In many cases, it’s not just the patients and their families that the staff has to watch now; internal theft can be a major issue in the medical field too.
Let’s take the i-pad or tablet theft situation. With many doctor’s offices converting to electronic records and more advanced ways to share medical information, these expensive devices are showing up not just in the exam rooms, but in the waiting room as well. Patients use them to check in for their appointments and update their contact information as well. What happens when the patient takes it back to the exam room with them and suddenly it has disappeared? Obviously, everyone will point the finger at the patient themselves or a member of their family that came with them when the tablet theft is discovered. But what if they did give the tablet back as they will surely claim? What if the nurse or assistant simply hid the tablet until they can retrieve it to take home at the end of the day? The patient will be blamed and possibly banned from the practice and no one is the wiser.
We can’t control others motives for stealing, and it’s always harder to deal with when the case is internal. It can happen with a long term employee just as easily as with a new hire. The employee may be under extreme financial pressure, or have a gambling problem. They may have an addiction for luxury spending. They may rationalize an i-pad theft to help themselves since the doctor makes so much money and can afford a new one. Or, just like above, they could see an opportunity and decide to act on it. While you can’t control what motivates people to steal, you can control your surroundings and protect your assets with some new offerings by Checkpoint Systems.
Designed for small spaces and professional settings, the Checkpoint N10, combined with the Thunder Tag, is the way to protect those valuable electronics from external as well as internal theft. The Checkpoint N10 has the same capabilities as its counterparts used in department stores to monitor inventory. But it is smaller and sleeker and will not detract from the setting or atmosphere of a doctor’s office.The Thunder Tag is actually a device that is adhered to the tablet theft or i-pad and it is the catalyst that will alert staff via the Checkpoint N10 if a theft attempt occurs. If a patient or employee tampers with the Thunder Tag or tries to remove it, it will self-alarm as well. A doctor’s office can fail and go under financially just as easily as a retail establishment. The bills have to be paid and the office equipment that is bought must be maintained and accounted for.
Want more information on the Checkpoint N10 System now? Give us a call: 1.770.426.0547
