Hiring new employees is always a challenging process for employers. If you’re going to invest resources in onboarding new team members, it’s essential to ensure you’re hiring the right people for the job. Pre-employment background checks help you get the right people. A background check provides valuable information about a candidate's criminal history, employment history, and education, among other things, all of which is info that helps you protect your workplace. Here’s how:
1. Reducing the Risk of Workplace Violence and Crime
A pre-employment criminal record check helps reduce the risk of workplace violence. By checking a candidate's criminal history, you can identify potential red flags and avoid hiring someone with a history of violence or other crimes.
2. Ensuring Workplace Safety
Employers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees. By conducting a background check, you can identify candidates who may pose a risk to workplace safety. And safety is about more than a history of violence. For example, if a candidate has a history of drug or alcohol abuse that shows up in a drug screen, you may choose not to hire them for a job that requires operating heavy machinery.
3. Protecting Your Reputation
Hiring someone the wrong person can damage your company's reputation. By conducting a pre-employment background check, you can avoid hiring someone with a criminal history that may negatively affect your brand. You can also avoid onboarding folks who’ve lied about their education or experience and will do damage to your brand because of their inability to do the job.
4. Avoiding Lawsuits
Hiring someone with red flags in their background can lead to costly negligent hiring lawsuits as well as a host of other legal troubles. Saying you “didn’t know” generally won’t protect you from the legal consequences of your employees’ bad acts while on the job.
5. Improving the Quality of Hires
A pre-employment background screen helps you identify the most qualified candidates for the job. By verifying a candidate's education, employment history, and credentials, you ensure you are hiring someone who is qualified and capable.
Conclusion
Conducting a pre-employment background check protects your workplace in numerous ways. Most of all, it helps employers fulfill their responsibility to ensure their workplace is safe and that they hire the right people for the right jobs. Start making more informed hiring decisions today by conducting a pre-employment background check on all new hires.
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