The Invisible Roadside Bomb - Staff Background Checks

For all intents and purposes, the time when a worker sticks to one job for life is now obsolete . Human resources departments have learned to cope and be content with an extremely fluctuating workforce. With different reasons like health issues, economic reasons, and even reasons which were crime related, people are always in constant motion. Background checks for the protection of all employees has become an absolute must. Your company would be paying millions if these checks of the background of the people you hire have not been thoroughly performed.

Everyone Should Be Checked
According to law, the company is held responsible for any person who is physically within the premises of the company. At times, what could be construed as a simple skirmish can actually turn into a legal nightmare that may last for years and incur huge legal fees for the company. I recall a case I was privy to concerning three persons entangled in a love triangle at work. After dating one person, the female worker transferred her affection to another and started seeing him. A fight ensued between the two individuals for their right to be with the female. An employees jaw was broken by his rival. It wasn't going too well for the company employing them. Two distinct, unimportant papers are suddenly of high importance to lawyers who subpoena them immediately. While one document will be your company policy on violence and violent acts at work, the other "inconsequential" document is definitely the background check done of the employee.This became the clincher as the company neglected to conduct any background checks.

Failure Is Never An Option
The human resources department's failure to execute background checks, is now being bombarded big time in the court. Worse, the case grows more perturbed as the plaintiff's lawyer, after conducting their own background check, found out that the defendant has been prone to violent acts. She further drives the point home saying, "Any decent background check could have unmasked this information if it were simply conducted". HRD personnel could not ignore that righteous hit to their supposed job description. Failure is never an option.

Criminals Constantly Move
Your HR should be very much concerned to the fact that untrained, weak, and uninformed HR department personnel not taking background checks seriously are falling victims for wandering criminals searching for them. Always remember that criminals will likely not wait around long to commit a crime.A sharp lookout for a criminally inclined person should be maintained. Constantly check the background. See criminal record.

Research and Learn
Pay attention to what the courts stand about background checks is and absorb the knowledge. Always consider state and federal laws when performing background checks. On local, state and federal levels, do not forget to check a prospective employee's criminal history. The applicant's Social Security Number, credit history, and driver's License should give you good starting points fro background checks. Make sure, without a trace of doubt, that you know what your state has to say and what provisions federal laws provide concerning employee background checks.