Hiring employees is one of the riskiest decisions of a hiring manager or a business owner. Employment background checks are becoming increasingly common these days. Although the Fair Credit Reporting Act has limited the ability to conduct background checks in several ways, it does not restrict employers for reasonable reasons. Here are some reasons that may require a review of your work history:
Avoid charges of negligent hiring
Negligent hiring refers to a legal terminology that describes the liability of an employer for an incident that is caused by an employee when the employer was aware that the employee posed a risk. The employer is legally obliged to provide every employee with adequate protection during their work. Background checks help employers to know people who have the potential to harm their colleagues. In cases where operating a business involves transporting goods or maintaining security, employers may need to do a background check to look for criminal records. A thorough background check can help the employer make the right decisions during the hiring process. Background checks before hiring checks the identity of the applicant and the references of the applicant to select the most suitable person for the job. If an employer fails to review the background before hiring and realizes too late that an error has occurred in hiring an employee, it may harm the work environment or other employees and destroy the company’s reputation. The information contained in the background check must also be complete and accurate, which requires the use of a professional background search provider. The average cost of a negligent work suit is estimated at $ 1 million. And when such cases are brought to court, employers lose about 70% of the cases.
Comply with state and federal laws
Companies that provide services for children, adolescents and the elderly have to carry out background checks. The same rule applies to people who work with disabled individuals. Health workers must also undergo background checks. Government jobs that require a security check also require a background check before hiring. Government agencies and government officials can use the FBI National Crime Information Center to conduct background checks and obtain information that may not be available to individuals.
Verify the information of the employee or applicants
If you hire employees without checking the background, you trust blindly. Without verification, it cannot be determined whether the experience and credentials they claim are correct. Hiring someone with incorrect credentials can directly impact your existing employees.
Sometimes it is known to inflate and improve educational and professional stories, especially when there is tough competition. By reviewing the work history, these practices can be uncovered. Background checks can also provide clues to the personality and disposition of the worker or applicant and help determine their suitability for the workplace. For example, an employer operating ATMs would be concerned if background checks reveal that the applicant is heavily in debt, indicating a financial emergency.
The possibility of corporate fraud and terrorism
Employers must ensure that the people they employ do not pose a risk to national security. Pre-employment background checks are, therefore, a necessary process before hiring someone who has access to confidential information. The exposure of multiple managers to fraudulent practices also motivated some companies to include background checks in the hiring process.
The availability of public records on the Internet and the availability of providers of background verification services have simplified background verification.
While employers can do background checks before hiring, it’s still best to get professional help. This is because professional background checks providers ensure the accuracy and completeness of the reports they provide by using all available public information.
If you have composure and patience, there is enough data flow between public websites to produce an adequate background check report. However, if a comprehensive report on professional standards is required, special databases with internet records are recommended. In general, your background jobs are checked during the background check. It will also review the schools you attended because the potential employer wants to ensure that you have attended and graduated, and received the degrees, training, and certifications as indicated in your application. Employment background check assists to eliminate those who aren’t qualified but lie on their resumes.
