Performing pre-employment background checks is your best opportunity to verify the information provided by the applicant and protect your organization from fraud and other harmful criminal activity. Professional background screeners have the skills and the tools required to provide reliable, actionable information about potential hires. If you’re still on the fence about whether background checks will help your business, consider the following 4 compelling reasons to run them:
4 Compelling Reasons to Run Background Checks
- Providing a safe workplace environment for employees and customers is priority number one. While past criminal activity is not a perfect indicator of future behavior, discovering an applicant’s criminal record prior to onboarding gives you the chance to make a smart and carefully considered choice. While ban-the-box laws make it illegal for you to simply deny employment because of a past record, having accurate information in your hand helps you have the right conversations with the applicant and make savvy hiring decisions that are well suited for the position and your business.
- Your business needs good talent to grow. If a position requires a graduate degree, you need to make certain the applicant has the right degree. If the job requires a specific certification, you need to verify that the candidate does indeed have that certification. If experience, education, and certifications are critical to job performance, then verifying those credentials is also critical.
- Do not underestimate the damage one bad hire can do to your reputation. Whether it’s workplace violence, fraud, unsafe driving, unqualified individuals, or other sketchy behavior, the truth is you can’t afford any of it. Background checks help preserve and protect your brand and your reputation.
- Risk Management.
Background screens are a critical risk management tool. Yes, they significantly reduce your organization’s risk for making bad hires. But they also reduce the risk of negligent hiring lawsuits that attempt to hold your business liable for illegal activity conducted by employees with a prior history of criminal behavior. These lawsuits are costly, running into the millions of dollars, so spending a bit of money on pre-screenings to avoid them is a wise investment.
Put the Odds in Your Favor
Hiring new employees is always a bit of a gamble, but a hiring policy that includes comprehensive domestic and international criminal background checks as part of the process significantly tips the odds in your favor. Promote a successful and safe work environment with pre-employment background screenings. Make informed choices by getting the right information before you hire.
