Background checks are becoming part of the normal hiring process across all industries in the United States. In fact, many industries such as education, transportation, and healthcare, require background checks. But are background checks really worth the time and money involved? What value does a background screening policy bring to your organization?
Safety
Creating and maintaining a safe workplace is a primary goal of every business owner and HR manager. Running criminal background checks on all employees at every level is an important component of any safety plan. Consider the following ways criminal background checks help protect your business:
- Prevents hiring unsafe drivers with histories of DUIs and other risky driving behaviors.
- Avoids placing individuals with a history of theft or fraud in positions with direct access to company assets.
- Safeguards employees and customers by identifying potentially dangerous new hires before onboarding them to your organization.
Credibility
Your business is only as strong as its weakest link; onboarding individuals who do not have the required experience or credentials to do the job properly puts your reputation and brand at risk. Background screenings ensure that every employee you hire is who they say they are, has the education and credentials they say they have, and has the experience needed to get the job done right.
Income
Yes, running background checks costs money. But, on balance, the benefits to the bottom line far outweigh the costs. First and foremost, background checks protect from loss—loss from inventory shrinkage, fraud, and the costs associated with injury and workplace violence. Accordingly, many insurance companies offer discounts associated with strong background check policies, which is another benefit to your bottom line. In addition, hiring the wrong employee is expensive; background screenings help you improve the quality of your hires so you can keep your recruiting and training expenses down. And finally, a strong background check policy protects you from the exorbitant legal costs of negligent hiring lawsuits that often accompany adverse workplace events.
What Should You Do?
The answer is clear: running background checks on potential employees is an important step in protecting your business, your brand, your assets, and your reputation. Background screenings are a proactive approach hiring; they catch the problem hires before they become part of your organization.
Although many facets of a background check can be done independently, the best idea is to work with a reputable background check service provider. They have the skills and tools necessary to conduct fast, reliable background checks that are fully compliant with the most current laws and regulations.
Don’t leave hiring decisions to chance; make background checks part of your standard hiring policy.
Hemant Kumar is a project manager at Tridindia with more than nine years of commendable experience in writing about LMS, translation, and IT. His unmatched talent and passion for digital marketing gave him the opportunity to work as a multi-tasking project manager at TridIndia’s sister company, Link Building Corp. Today, he contributes to the world by imparting knowledge on SEO, link building and internet marketing etc., that helps business owners grow their online business.
