Introduction
Ensure your team is equipped to make informed hiring decisions with in-depth background screening insights. Learn how to mitigate bias and foster a transparent evaluation process.
Comprehensive background checks can help employers weed out candidates with red flags that could disqualify them from safety-sensitive positions. This can significantly reduce negligent hiring liability.
Preventing Fraud
While some fraudulent activities are unavoidable, many can be prevented by thorough pre-employment background checks. These checks can include verification of education, employment history, and professional credentials to confirm that candidates have the qualifications they claim to have.
These checks also help identify discrepancies such as stretching employment dates, falsifying job titles, or presenting fake educational credentials.
Conducting reoccurring background checks can help employers mitigate risk and maintain a safe and secure work environment by ensuring that high-level employees and those with access to sensitive information remain compliant with company policies and legal regulations. By partnering with background check services that offer FCRA-regulated data, quality results, and dedicated customer service, hospitality businesses can build a culture of safety and responsibility.
Preventing Workplace Violence
Workplace violence incidents have devastating repercussions, including physical harm to employees and damage to a company’s reputation. Fortunately, some forms of workplace violence are preventable with the proper employment screening process.
Background checks can reveal warning signs of an employee’s propensity for violent behavior or dishonesty. The screening process typically includes county and national criminal records searches, drug testing, prior employment verification, education verification, and license verifications.
Although no background check can filter out every potentially violent person, implementing a comprehensive policy that includes pre-hire screening for all employees, contractors, patients, or clients, and anyone with unrestricted access to your company facilities is an effective deterrent to violence in the workplace. The key is to ensure that your background check provider thoroughly investigates all available data.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a severe and complex problem. Not only can it demoralize employees and make them less productive, but it can also lead to costly lawsuits and tarnished reputations.
Fortunately, there are preventive steps employers can take. Having clear and comprehensive anti-harassment policies is essential. These should outline the definition of sexual harassment, provide information on reporting channels, and specify the formal/informal resolution process.
Conducting a criminal background check before hiring is also helpful. This search will reveal any history of felony charges, which could indicate the candidate’s likelihood of engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Preventing Drug Abuse
Drug abuse in the workplace is a common problem that results in increased absenteeism and lower productivity. Employers can prevent this by conducting pre-employment drug screenings and testing current employees regularly.
Random drug tests can be a deterrent to employee substance abuse and can decrease mistakes and accidents caused by impairment. However, employers must abide by laws on when these tests can be administered.
Courts have ruled that reasonable suspicion tests can be conducted on employees when observable behaviors indicate intoxication. Typically, this is done after a conditional job offer has been made but before an employee begins work. Keeping up with this process requires an employer to document the observed behavior and its rationale for sending an employee to be tested. This ensures that the employer can defend itself against a negligent hiring lawsuit if it is sued for negligence.
Preventing Theft
Conducting stringent background checks during the hiring process is a great way to prevent internal data breaches and protect company assets. It’s a best practice to customize employment screening packages by position, including credit checks for positions that handle money, driving record searches for safety-sensitive roles, and other relevant searches based on job duties.
Hiring the wrong employee can have a devastating impact on your business. It can affect productivity, team morale, customer relationships, and brand reputation. It can also cost your company money.
A good background check provider offers multiple search types that combine a national criminal database search with more in-depth verification services. They may also provide a mobile app, ATS integrations, and electronic consent capabilities to streamline the process. They should have a track record of success in the industry and excellent customer support.