If you want to protect your company from possible risks, conducting background checks is an essential pre-employment screening step. In some situations, companies assume the applicants have told the truth during their interview and on their resume. In many cases, this is the case. However, there are some situations where a potential employee may try to hide the truth. To make sure you hire the right person, conducting a background check is a must.
If you aren’t sure this is worth the expense or the hassle, keep reading Here you can learn not only what the background check provides, but also how it will benefit your business now and in the future. Regardless of the hiring practices you used in the past, you will see why including a background check is such a crucial component of this process and one that should not be skipped.
What is a Background Check?
With employee background checks, you get a comprehensive review of a person or an organization’s records. This includes financial information along with any criminal records. Sometimes, background checks also include the person’s license record (important if the job involves driving), credit history, past employment, and education. There are several service providers that offer background checks, allowing you to gather all the needed information on a potential hire.
Why Background Check Services Are So Important for Modern Businesses
If you want to have complete confidence in a new hire, having a background check is a must. There are several reasons for this. Each of the reasons this is so important are highlighted and explained below.
Criminal History
A primary reason many business owners invest in background checks for potential new hires is to find any past criminal history related to the applicant. With the knowledge of the person’s criminal background, the employer can make their final decision. In some cases, the criminal history report will only show minor charges; however, to make sure the candidate is a suitable hire, these criminal checks should take place.
Avoid Liability
Think about this scenario – you have hired someone as a truck driver but never ran a background check. At some point, they are involved in a serious accident on a busy highway because they were intoxicated while driving. Upon arrest, you discover the individual had three prior DUIs. Since you never ran a background check, they may consider your company partially liable due to your negligence.
Ensure Workplace Safety
There’s a good chance you will have interviews with many individuals who are potentially dangerous. From violent criminals to sex offenders, you can’t take a risk of hiring these individuals. However, what happens if you don’t run the background check and wind up hiring one of these dangerous individuals? In this situation, it will compromise the safety of your other employees and the workplace as a whole. Virtually every employer knows that workplace safety is a top concern and if one person compromises it, the business itself will be the one liable for the issues that occur.
Job Competence is Crucial
If you are the employer, you need to verify the claims made by people applying for the open position. This may be their job history, educational qualifications, or anything else – you need to make sure the employee you hire is reliable. If you don’t implement background checks, you can’t be completely confident about your hiring decisions.
Feel Confident You Have Hired the Right Person
When it is time to hire someone new, you want peace of mind you have made the right decision. After all, the main goal is to build a company that thrives and grows, which is why you put effort into hiring the right candidates. There is no question that the process used to screen employees can be stressful and often hectic, but it’s necessary. You go through these lengthy processes to ensure you hire the right person for the job and for the company. If you want to ensure that this person is found, you must run a background check – it should be a non-negotiable part of the hiring process for any business, regardless of size or industry.
The Bottom Line
With everything here in mind, it’s clear that having a thorough employee screening process, which includes a background check is crucial. Unless you are willing to compromise the well-being of your business and other employees, go through this process and ensure that the right person is found and hired. There’s no question this is the best and smartest approach to take when hiring a new employee.
