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Why Screen Employees? Employee Problems are Caused by Problem Employees

Guest post by: Lester Rosen

Article Overview: As any employer or human resources professional know, a great deal of time is spent dealing with employee problems. Howebver, problem employees usually cause employee problems. An employer is certainly ahead if they can try to minimize the problem employees in the first place.

Why Screen Employees? Employee Problems are Caused by Problem Employees

For employers that do not perform background checks, one of the most frequently asked questions is why do it? The short answer is that employee screening is one critical way to keep problem employees out of the workplace. As any employer or human resources professional know, a great deal of time is spent dealing with employee problems. As Employment Screening Resources cationed employers in The Safe Hiring Manual back in 2005, "problem employees usually cause employee problems." An employer is certainly ahead if they can try to minimize the problem employees in the first place. Of course, there is no perfect system to prevent bad hires. Background checks alone are not going to keep an employer from hiring people they later regret having in the workforce. The hiring process has a number of moving parts, but the background check is the critical final step.

In addition, the cost if a background check will typically be less than the cost of that new employee on his or her first day on the job. That is pocket change compared to the damage one bad hire can cause. It is ironic that some firms will spend hours shopping for a computer bargain yet at the same time try to save money by not adequately checking out a job applicant, even though each hire represents an enormous investment and potential risk.

The additional advantages of employment screening include:

1. To discourage applicants with something to hide. Simply having a prescreening program discourages job applicants with a criminal background or falsified credentials.

2. To eliminate uncertainty in the hiring process. Many employers have discovered the hard way that relying on instinct alone is not enough. Hard information is also an important part of the hiring process.

3. To demonstrate Due Diligence. All employers have a reasonable duty of care in the hiring process. This means an employer must take reasonable steps to determine whether an employee is fit for a particular job. For example, if an employer who hires a bus driver and does not take reasonable efforts to determine if the bus driver has a criminal record, it could be found liable if that driver assaults a passenger and a reasonable background check would have discovered the prior assaults.

4. To encourage honesty in the application and interview process. Employers find that just having a background program will encourage applicants to be more forthcoming about their history.

Performing background screenings is certainly not a guarantee that every bad applicant will be discovered. For the prices charged by prescreening firms, employers cannot expect an in-depth and exhaustive FBI-type investigation. However, just engaging in screening program demonstrates due diligence and provides an employer with a great deal of legal protection.

It is also important to understand that a prescreening program is aimed at how a person has performed in the public aspect of their lives. Items such as a criminal records or previous job performance reflect how a person behaved towards others or discharged his/her obligations or responsibilities. Screening is NOT an invasion of privacy, a sign of mistrust, or an act of "Big Brother."

Nor is it difficult to set up a screening programming. Even for an overburdened HR, security, or risk management department already handling numerous tasks, outsourcing background screening can be done very quickly and effectively. A qualified pre-employment screening firm can set up the entire program, provide all the necessary forms in a short time and assist with legal compliance. A professional background screening firm such as Employment Screening Resources can assist an employer is setting up a progrm tht meets tier needs and objectives

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Article Tags: background checks, employee problems, employee screening, employment screening, human resources, problem employees, screen employees



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