subject: Background Checks Protect Your Company [print this page] Background Checks Protect Your Company Background Checks Protect Your Company
Poorly planned employee hiring practices can damage a company in many ways. Without thoroughly checking out all job applicants, a business is opening the door to trouble. Hiring the wrong people can result in loss through theft, fraud, violence, and can even create a high turnover rate due to unhappy employees or an uncomfortable work environment. On the extreme side, failure to adequately screen potential job applicants can result in lengthy and expensive law suits.
To prevent such losses, it's important that a business thoroughly check out all potential new employees. Simply stating on an application or in a job listing that a background check will be performed on all new hires is often sufficient enough to weed out the undesirables.
Another simple way to prevent those with a violent criminal history from even applying to an open position is to publicly declare that the business is a violence free workplace. This is very similar to stating that an office is a drug free zone; it lets applicants know that they will have to undergo intense screening prior to obtaining the job, so those with an objectionable background will move on to a different position.
As part of a new hire screening process, a company can include strategic questions on the job application that will help provide an indication of any violent tendencies, if in fact the applicant leans in that direction. Applications should clearly state, in writing, that violence is swiftly and strictly dealt with in the workplace.
In addition to helping protect the business itself, having clearly stated policies that indicate a zero tolerance towards violence will help create a secure work environment for all employees. This, in turn, can help reduce employee turnover. Safety in the workplace is a very important factor, and employers should do everything in their power to ensure that their employees feel safe and secure.
Clearly stated zero tolerance policies are only one part of the equation to protecting a company's assets. A complete new hire screening process is necessary to absolutely ensure that no one with an undesirable criminal background slips through the cracks. A background check should also be part of every routine new applicant screening. Be sure to require a list of character and/or job references, and check every one.
It's hard work building and running a company. Failure to properly screen all job applicants can throw all of that hard work out the window. It's vital to include a complete screening process to protect the company, its assets and the current employees.
