Interviewing Skills Are Not Enough; Employee Background Checks Can Prevent Poor Hiring Choices Part I

As a business owner, how do you decide who you should hire for a job? Do you base your decisions strictly on your ability to interview applicants? Are you a shrewd judge of character and can “just tell” if someone isn’t being honest with you during a job interview? Maybe you just know the right questions to ask in order to find that right person for the job. If you don’t have any Human Resources experience, I want to give you fair warning that you are walking a very risky path filled with potential pitfalls. First, if you are “winging it” or making your own questions without the proper experience in the hiring process, you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit. Likewise, if your sole means of hiring someone is the interview and you are not conducting an employee background check, you may be exposing yourself and your company to unnecessary liability. 
     

Employee background checks can be cursory inquiries, looking at an applicant’s driving history or conducting credit checks. It may also involve verifying work history, confirming dates of employment and positions held within a company. Often this is enough information for hiring applicants for entry level positions. Frequently high school students or college graduates for that matter won’t have a significant amount of work under their belt and so this may be ample information to make an informed decision before hiring someone. 
     

On the other hand, more thorough pre-employment screening may be necessary for a position that requires a special skill set, or may bring someone into contact with children. For example, one of my children is attending college to become a teacher. As part of their agreement to be accepted into the teaching program, the students are required to be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. The school takes the safety of the children that may be taught by these future education graduates very seriously. What about your business? Who are your clients? Who are you possibly bringing into your workplace and exposing your employees to?  “Gut feelings” and your intuition during an interview may not be enough to identify future superstars from super problems.     

So how can a business owner, even the owner of a very small business seeking to expand to their first hired employee conduct thorough pre-employment screenings? First, hire a Background Check Company to help you determine what might be important to check on for the position you are seeking to fill. If the job will have an employee parking cars as a valet, it might be beneficial to have a driving record check included in a record inspection. Perhaps you own a plumbing business and you are seeking to expand and need a licensed plumber to work with you. How do you know your applicants are certified plumbers, simply because they said so on their application? A Background Check Company can validate certifications, schooling and training the applicant says they have graduated from or been certified in.
     

You may not have much experience in looking at job applications. I can tell you from experience, a lot of people misrepresent themselves or their backgrounds on applications. In my current position in a college, we advertise for open positions and in our job ads set specific background or experience we are looking for in an applicant. It never ceases to amaze me the number of times I see an answer to a question on an application that indicates a person has a certain amount of experience, but nowhere on the application or a resume can I find that set of skills. For example, we may ask, “Do you have experience working non-traditional hours?” The applicant says yes to the question, but everything on the application and resume indicate they have experience working only 8am-4pm Monday – Friday! Now, let me be clear, those are not non-traditional hours, so someone is trying to look good on an application but does not meet the job requirements. 
     

A Background Check Company can conduct pre-employment screening for a company that ensures an applicant is being honest on an application and a good choice to hire. In part two of this series we will review certain things employers can and cannot ask applicants and how a Background Check Company might help save you some headaches and money.

Employee Background Checks are important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk. 

NOT Hiring Someone Can Have Legal Ramifications; Let A Background Check Company Guide You Through The Process

As an employer, you want to know as much as you can about the people who will be working for you. What is their work history, education, certifications, things that might give you an idea of whether they have the training or skills necessary to perform the job. If you own a furniture store, you may need someone with a clean driving record to drive your delivery trucks. If you own a hair salon, you may require state certification. You may be looking for someone who has already compiled a significant amount of work experience. Some jobs are looking for people with specific backgrounds such as military or police experience. Pre-employment screening can help to identify those people who are who they say they are and those who are pretenders.  

A background check company can do all these things for you and more.   Retailers handle cash transactions, credit card information, checks and often personal information when completing applications for in-store credit or “reward” cards. For owners and managers of these stores it only makes sense to have a credit history check completed for potential job candidates. Pre-employment screening can include a credit check, show payment history and bankruptcy, liens and judgements against a candidate. Criminal history can also be checked on a local, state (where allowed) and federal level. It makes sense to know who will be handling payments and your customers’ information.  

You do need to be aware that while you are able to run pre-employment screenings of job applicants, there are legal obligations on you the employer. According to the government website consumer.ftc.gov “Before getting the (background) report, the employer must tell you that they might use the information to make a decision related to your employment, and must ask for your written permission.” As an employer you must be sure to let candidates know you intend to run the background check and how you will use that information. A professional background check company will be familiar with government regulations on checks and can ensure you have the proper documentation you need to avoid legal issues.  

In addition, the federal trade commission website goes on to warn its readers that, “If the employer thinks they might not hire, keep, or promote you because of something in the report, they must give you a copy of the report and a “Summary of Rights” that tells you how to contact the company that provided the report.” Additionally, should you as the employer decide not to hire someone based on financial information in a credit report, criminal history, or other public records you must notify the applicant “orally, in writing or electronically.”  It is not a given that negative information can be enough to not hire an individual for a job. The website warns that, “Even if the employer treats you the same as everyone else, using background information still can be illegal discrimination…In legal terms, the policy or practice has a “disparate impact” and is not “job related and consistent with business necessity.”  

Before you start worrying about whether you will be in compliance with laws, understand that a reputable pre-employment screening company will follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) rules. These professionals understand what documents and approvals must be given before conducting a check. They will act in accord with federal regulations, as well as state laws governing criminal background check information that may or may not be permissible to release to potential employers.  

Hiring someone to work for you can be a tricky business. The wrong person can hurt your company image and reputation, or even be a danger to your staff and customers. Using a background check company allows you to be confident in the hiring choices you make. You can also be confident that your checks are legal and ethical.  

Pre-employment screening is important and we can help you with it.  Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

Employees Can Create Chaos For Your Company – Be Careful In Hiring, Use A Background Check Company

Did you know that if you are a business owner and one of your employees hurts someone while they are working, you can be held responsible? Whether the injured party is a co-worker or a customer, if your employee was on the clock, lost his temper and caused an injury, you or the business may be held liable. The same thing can apply to an employee who is involved in a car accident while performing work related duties. According to Nolo.com, an online legal web page, “Under a legal doctrine sometimes referred to as “respondeat superior”, an employer is legally responsible for the actions of its employees.” They do go on to mention that this is only when the employee is working. With employers being accountable for the actions of their employees, it is imperative that a background check company is utilized to complete a pre-employment screening for prospective new hires. 

Pre-employment screening and background checks vet a candidate before you actually bring them onto your staff. You can often choose how in-depth you would like the background check company to go in their search process. Depending on the job you are wanting done, you may only want a local criminal history check completed.  If, on the other hand, the employee will be driving a company vehicle you would want to have a thorough driving history researched. Perhaps the job you are filling requires a state certification such as a barber or a day care worker. A background check company can verify certificates and licenses an applicant may indicate they possess on their application. Another thing to consider is where your business is located. If your business is in the vicinity of a school, it could be extremely important that you have a sex offender registry check completed.

Don’t think you need to be concerned about a lawsuit because of the actions of an employee?  In a January 28, 2016 article in eater.com, a Fresno Police Officer is suing McDonald’s after being attacked by an employee. The officer responded to a call about a fight between two employees and in the process of trying to break up the fight the officer was punched several times. According to the article, “It suggests that McDonald’s was aware that Deel had “violent tendencies” and suffered “from a mental condition that made him a danger to himself and others.” According to hrmorning.com, in 2009 a company was sued and lost after a company employee who was on call hit another car while driving drunk. The employee was driving his own car, but was carrying a company issued cell phone and pager because he was on call at the time. The final verdict required the company to pay $300,000 to the victim.   

In both cases the actions of an employee are the catalyst for a lawsuit against the employer. It is not clear from the articles that a pre-employment screening would have uncovered anything in the past of any of the employees. However, the possibility remains that a background check company may have uncovered something and flagged the candidate before a hiring decision was made. If you notice in the McDonald’s case it is alleged that the employee had violent tendencies. It is possible that this person had a criminal history the reader is not made privy to. In the vehicle accident, I have to wonder if this is the first time the driver has been guilty of driving under the influence. Perhaps he has had other activity on his driving record that might have caused concern for the employer if a background check company had uncovered it.

Don’t let your company become the target of a lawsuit due to the actions of an employee with a checkered past. A thorough pre-employment screening can provide you with the history you need to make an informed decision about an applicant.

Pre-employment screening is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk.

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.

Background Check Companies Are Not All Equal

Have you ever hired a new member for your team and realized sooner than later that you made a terrible mistake? Sometimes it can be that they flip the switch back on and show their true attitude they were able to hide from you in the interview process. Sometimes they can talk the talk, but they turn out to be lazy and unwilling to learn to do the job the right way. When somebody wants a job bad enough they can conceal their worst attributes in order to get money to put in the bank. The good news is you can counsel or retrain the “bad” out of some employees. The bad news comes when you realize you didn’t use a quality background check company and you have to deal with a criminal. Most companies find this out too late, after the damage has been done. Employee background checks are truly one of the most important tasks you can complete before making a job offer to a prospective new hire.  

When you commit to performing pre-employment screenings, you have to make sure you are utilizing a company that is going to give you accurate results. A medical office recently made a terrible discovery that could have been avoided if they had chosen a better background check company than they did. Their accountants and lawyers were taking a weekend to audit the books of the medical office when they started seeing that the numbers were not adding up. After some deep diving and investigating, they figured out it was their newest employee that was into the thick of some serious missing cash. They were short $55,000. Not only were they shocked that she was stealing from them; they were also blown away by the news that this young woman was on parole for embezzlement from her previous employer, where she had plead guilty to stealing $250,000. The hiring manager confirmed that they used “some background check company we found on the internet.”  

If you don’t employ a reputable partner in performing pre-employment screenings, you may find yourself in a similar situation. You have to be able to rely on employee background checks that are more than just name based searches. It is not enough to pop someone’s name into a search engine and just wait and see what comes up about them. It is also not enough that their name doesn’t appear on the local or national sex offender registry. The truth is many first offenders are not listed on their state’s department of corrections website. You need a company that is going to perform a thorough check of the potential new hire’s background and verify they have the experience, education, and clean criminal record they claim to have. You owe it to yourself as the owner or manager of a reputable business to hire the best and most qualified people in your hiring pool. You also owe it to your customers and your staff to provide a safe environment for them to shop and work in. Imagine having to explain to your other employees or even to your investors that you made the decision to hire someone with a criminal history. It is so not worth it.  

Choosing a reliable background check company is important and we can help you with it. Call 1.770.426.0547 and let’s talk!