It is growing more and more common today for employers to conduct a background check on potential candidates before hiring. Simply put, background checks are reviews of criminal, personal and financial records of a potential hire for your company. Background checks may be time-consuming, but they are always important and actually save you money in the long run. GroupOne Background Screening would like to offer six reasons why organizations must conduct a background check before hiring an employee.
1. Security
If your organization deals with “sensitive” items such as cash, jewelry or electronic goods, a background check of a potential employee is important for obvious reasons. Even if you don’t store valuable items within the workplace, your company’s accounts and finances could be in danger. There have been thousands of cases of employees colluding with outsiders to steal from their own company. A background check will reveal the affiliation of a potential employee, their work habits, prior offenses, criminal sentences and other necessary information you must know to secure office and customer safety. A background check will save you money compared to losses from robbery, theft and insurance.
2. Safety
If your organization involves any type of work with schools or children, a background check is absolutely essential. Employees must be checked against sex offender registries. Criminal history and driving records must be documented for anyone employed as a security guard, bus driver or other professions where they would come in contact with school children. Ensure safety by conducting background checks on everyone within such an organization.
3. Legal
If employees misbehave within your organization, you could be sued for thousands, if not millions, of dollars. In addition, there are many jobs where federal or state laws mandate a background check must be conducted on candidates before employment. If you fail to perform these background checks, you could be setting yourself up for expensive lawsuits.
4. Competence
For the most part, all potential employees portray themselves as superheroes during an interview. But many of them are not as hardworking or innovative as they claim to be. It is estimated that a whopping 40 percent of résumés contain falsified information. A background check will provide you with necessary information from past employers and schools to include work history, degrees, certifications and other necessary facts you need to know. Without a background check, the superhero may turn into a super villain.
5. Peace of mind
When hiring someone, there should be no doubts regarding the person or their abilities. We’re all human and doubts can linger, sometimes preventing you from putting the new hire into a position where they can best succeed. For a truly functioning office, a background check will give you both peace of mind and confidence in making the right staff decisions.
6. Expenses
If you do not conduct an adequate background check and an employee does not evolve into the superhero they claim to be, you may be forced to fire them. Believe it or not, firing an employee costs money, including advertising the job opening, conducting new interviews, purchasing new background checks, training new employees and onboarding them into your organization. A background check can save you from these expensive wastes of time and money.
Conclusion
The importance of a background check cannot be overemphasized. It is not just good business, but it saves money. For questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at GroupOne.