Some industries require new employees to go through a criminal background screening. Any industry that requires direct interaction with minors or requires you to carry a gun on the job requires a criminal background check.
However, just because you own a business that does not require a criminal background check for new employees does not mean that you should ignore the idea. It also does not mean you should disqualify anyone with any type of criminal record.
Criminal record background checks are a wonderful tool when deciding who to hire for any open position. They can help you determine whether a person can be trusted and whether they have a history of theft or other felonies that can impact your business. Read below to learn more about how employee criminal and background checks can assist you in your hiring process.
What Do Most Employee Background Checks Look for?
Employee background checks can review plenty of information. They can often check credit, criminal history, litigation history, employment and education verifications, and more. However, these types of background checks can be a bit excessive and expensive.
Typical background checks for employees will check three main areas. They will check federal and state criminal records, the right to employment, and include a drug screening. These three pieces will help you determine if the potential employee has a drug problem that would prevent them from doing their job, has a criminal record that could result in a detrimental outcome for your clients, customers, and employees, or is ineligible to work within the United States.
What Can Happen If You Do Not Perform an Employee Background Check?
In today’s society, employers are desperate for employees. Employees know they are high in demand for employers at the moment. Therefore, they will try to hide things from you as an employer so they can get the job and help you fill the role at your company.
While many times, these issues are not a problem, the wrong person can create a huge headache and an even larger lawsuit for you and your business. If the person you are looking to hire is out on parole for a violent crime, you can face detrimental issues if this new employee becomes violent in your place of business. If the person is not legally allowed to work in the US, you could pay very hefty fines for employing them. If your company hired an employee with a drug addiction and they are hired to work with heavy machinery, if they cause an injury, you could lose your business.
Therefore, you can face a large loss if you try to cut corners and avoid new employee background checks. The losses could cost you everything and throw you into bankruptcy.
Workplace HCM knows the importance of conducting an employee background check on new employees. When we help clients onboard new employees, we offer background checks to ensure we have everything covered. We have partnered with National Crime Search, a national background check, drug screening, and employment eligibility verification company to help our clients perform cost-effective pre-employment screenings. To learn more about our services, call (856) 334-9711.
