Are you hiring employees you can trust?
One of the biggest mistakes a small business can make is assuming they don’t need to run background checks on potential employees. Because in today’s highly technological world, where personal and critical information can be instantly accessed through so many different channels, you need to know that you can trust everyone on your team—whether it’s 5 people or 5,000.
In his book, The Business Immunity System: The Pitfalls & Side Effects of Data Handling, Privacy Issues & Background Checks, our President and CEO Rachid Zahidi discusses how business owners often have no idea their employees are stealing from them or are involved in other illegal activities until it is too late. He also reveals the startling fact that 30% of small businesses fail because of employee theft.
As the owner of a business of any size, you owe it to yourself and the health of your organization to safeguard it against theft and other issues related to hiring those who don’t have your best interest at heart.
1. Trust your candidates, but verify their claims
It’s not uncommon for those applying for positions to embellish or fluff up their experience on their resumes. And while this is in no way acceptable, it’s not as harmful as listing positions they never had or not disclosing that they were let go because of a serious infringement in their former company’s policies. Using background checks in the hiring process allows you to get the official record of your potential employee’s professional experience and other information related to their history.
2. Perform the right kind of checks
It is possible to be overly invasive or run unjustified searches for the job that you are attempting to fill. Background checks are regulated and privacy laws protect certain types of personal information. It’s also possible to request information in your check that is not relevant to your company or the job—an example would be searching a person’s driving record when this information has no bearing on their ability to do their job as a cashier. So be sure to run the proper checks and to follow the legal protocol when it comes to informing the candidate that they will be screened.
3. Doing it right: Following the rules
This may seem obvious, but there are rules and regulations in place that must be followed when running background checks. You need to be sure that you comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the laws of your state and local municipality, and that you provide each candidate with information about the background check as a separate document from their application.
In The Business Immunity System, Zahidi tells of a case against Domino’s Pizza that resulted in the company having to pay $2.5 million in damages to a group of people that did not receive their background check consent form separately from their job application. A simple, yet costly mistake.
4. Working with a trusted provider
Implementing background checks into your hiring processes doesn’t have to cause you additional work and added stress if you enlist the services of a trusted and experienced provider. A provider who has earned a reputation in the industry will make sure that you’re following best practices and provide all the information you need to know about the rules and laws as they apply to you. Providers with experience also understand the delicate nature of what they’re doing and are not only able to communicate effectively, they do it with respect to the applicant and your company.
The benefits of running background checks are numerous and can help you build a defense against possible threats to your organization. These tips are just a few that Zahidi provides in his book, so be sure to get your copy for a more detailed guide and critical information you can use to protect your company. For a complimentary review of your screening and selection process, contact us today.