Employee Screening Articles For October
October 31, 2008
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for October, here’s a quick recap:
Sex Offenders and Halloween Safety Tips- Part 2
Sex Offenders and Halloween Safety Tips
Pre-Employment Drug Testing For Teachers
Background Checks For The Education Industry
Background Checks For Temporary Employees
Do You Have a Sex Offender Working For You?
Immigration Crackdown - HR Director Indicted
Drug-Free Work Week
Why Gaps In Employment Are A Red Flag
Hiring For Hotels: Why Screening Is Essential
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Sex Offenders and Halloween Safety Tips- Part 2
October 30, 2008
In Indiana, Maryland, Missouri and New Mexico, some registered sex offenders are required to hang such signs where they live. In Maryland, the sign is a bright orange pumpkin.
The signs are part of expanding efforts to regulate not only where convicted sex offenders live and work but also their movements on Halloween. Many states bar those on probation from giving out candy, wearing costumes or decorating their homes.”
From sheriffalerts.com:
Facts About Sex Offenders
- In 2003, there were approximately 455,000 registered sex offenders in the United States.
- Most sex offenders (80- 95%) assault people they know.
- At least half of convicted child molesters report that they also have sexually assaulted an adult.
- Over 80% of convicted adult rapists report that they have molested children.
- Approximately one-third of sex offenders report assaulting both males and females. Research shows that most convicted sex offenders have committed many, many assaults before they are caught.
- Most sex offenders report that they have committed multiple types of sexual assault (sexual assault crimes include exhibitionism, voyeurism, oral sex, vaginal penetration, attempted penetration, fondling, and incest).
- Over two-thirds of offenders who reported committing incest also said they assaulted victims outside the family.
- Some studies of victims have shown less than 30% of sex crimes are reported to law enforcement.
- Young victims who know or are related to the perpetrator are least likely to report the crime to authorities.
Sex Offender Characteristics
- Most offenders commit multiple crimes against multiple types of victims with whom they have varying types of relationships (adults, children, male, female, known and unknown). This behavior is known as “crossover”.
- Sex offenders rarely commit just one type of offense. Many offenders have NO official criminal record or sex crime history of any kind.
- There is no such thing as a “typical” sex offender; however, all tend to be manipulative, deceptive, and secretive. Sex offenders come from all backgrounds, ages, income levels, and professions.
- The majority of offenses (80 - 95%) are committed by someone the victim knows.
- Sexual deviancy often begins in adolescence.
- Sex offenders usually do not commit their crimes impulsively. They usually carefully plan their crimes.
- Approximately 4% of sexual assaults are committed by women.
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Photo Credit: riptheskull
Sex Offenders and Halloween Safety Tips
October 28, 2008
This morning I received the following Updated Sex Offender Notification via email alert from the Franklin County Sheriff’s office:
You have registered the following address to be monitored for the presence of registered offenders in your area. Our records indicate that the offender (s) shown below have registered a home address within the indicated distance of your address. This email serves as your alert to be aware of the presence of the noted offenders.
It turns out I’ve got a Tier II Sex Offender, that was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, living within 1 mile of my house. What’s even scarier…according to Watch Systems, which developed an offender management and community notification tool, “80 - 90% of citizens have a registered sex offender living within a one mile radius of their home, children’s school, or place of work.”
Do you know who the sex offenders are in your area?
I did some research and found quite a bit of useful information on sex offenders. Normally I write about sex offenders in the workplace, but I wanted to share these Halloween Safety Tips from SheriffAlerts.com:
“Halloween can be great fun for our kids, but unfortunately there are people out there who may harm them. Being prepared is the first step in assuring all goes well. Make a plan for the night and talk to your kids about how to stay safe. You can make the difference.”
To keep kids SAFE during Halloween follow these simple rules:
- BE AWARE of sex offenders in your area. Use your state sex offender registry or the National Sex Offender Registry. Register for automatic email alerts if available.
- NEVER let children trick or treat alone
- ONLY trick-or-treat if houses are well lit
- NEVER let kids enter homes without parent’s permission
I’ll post more on sex offenders later this week.
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Pre-Employment Drug Testing For Teachers
October 27, 2008
New London, Connecticut (WTNH.com) — The arrest of a New London teacher on drug charges(crack cocaine) has parents demanding stricter hiring policies including drug testing.
Related Posts:
Background Checks For The Education Industry
Deciding Whether To Drug Screen Employees
The Importance of Employee Screening for Nonprofits
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Photo Credit: compujeramey
Background Checks For The Education Industry
October 27, 2008
One of tragic ironies of the education industry is that it often fails to properly screen teachers. For example, a study conducted in 2007 found that most Illinois teachers who were hired prior to 2004 were exempt from FBI background checks. These educators have a dangerous level of exposure to children. Consider that many of them could easily hide a criminal past.
Chilling Examples
Newspapers are filled with hundreds of cases in which educators are hired, but are unsuitable to have exposure to children. For example, a high school teacher named Jaime Katheryn Steen was recently jailed for distributing pornographic pictures to her students. George Tolbert, convicted of sexually abusing 2 children, served 4 years in jail, only to earn his teaching credentials and teach for 10 years. Chassappasi Rain, convicted of shooting 2 people in 1978, earned his teaching certificate in 1990 and found a teaching job in the Chicago Public School System.
Comprehensive background checks should have been performed on each of these people prior to hiring them as educators. By failing to screen them properly and allowing them into the classroom, school administrators are gambling with the safety of the students in their care.
Pre-Employment Screening For Educators
As the number of criminal cases involving teachers continues to escalate, state governments are starting to require pre-employment background checks. The problem is that the scope of these background checks is usually inadequate. They’re often limited to running an applicant’s name through an FBI database and doing a child abuse registry search. Not only is this approach plagued with problems (i.e. misspelled names, out of date profiles, etc.), but they often fail to uncover past criminal convictions.
School administrators need to implement more thorough pre-employment screening protocols. Even if funding seems to be a obstacle, it’s important to realize that properly screening teachers and conducting wide-ranging criminal background checks is relatively inexpensive. In fact, it can usually be done for less than what that teacher will earn during their first day on the job.
Limiting Risk And Protecting Students
Doing the bare minimum when screening educators is no longer a viable option. There is simply too much risk to the safety of the students. Allowing convicted felons to gain all-day access to children is a recipe for disaster. In fact, the education industry has been buffeted by high-profile incidents for years. It’s time for school administrators to take control by conducting extensive background checks on all personnel.
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Related Posts:
The Importance of Employee Screening for Nonprofits
Do You Have a Sex Offender Working For You?
Top 4 Things You Need To Know About Employee Screening
Six Background Screening Mistakes To Avoid
Photo Credits: krispdk, aprilzosia
Background Checks For Temporary Employees
October 21, 2008
Companies are becoming more aware of how a lack of employee screening increases their exposure to liability. As a result, they are taking measures to conduct background checks on all permanent staff. Oddly, many firms don’t use the same caution when bringing temp hires aboard. The main reason cited by many employers is that screening and background checks take valuable time. They slow the placement process, which is an important factor for short-term projects. But, sacrificing caution for expediency when hiring temporary staff can be catastrophic.
Screening Temporary Employees
A temporary hire can expose your firm to just as much risk as a permanent employee. After all, once they are on your premises, they will usually have the same level of access to computer files, customer databases, and other resources. The fact that a temp employee is only working on a short-term assignment is irrelevant. If you neglect to perform background checks, they still pose a significant risk.
Many employers think that since a temp hire receives a paycheck from a staffing firm, the employer cannot be held liable for that hire’s actions. So, they decide against screening temporary employees. That’s a mistake. And it can potentially cost an employer millions of dollars. In truth, employers can be held liable for the actions of a temp hire. If they disrupt the workplace and harm your staff or customers, your firm can be sued.
How To Avoid Unnecessary Risk
Hiring an employee always carries an inherent risk, regardless of whether that employee is hired on a temporary or permanent basis. You should take preventative measures to protect your staff, your workplace, and the core assets upon which your business relies. At the very least, screen temporary employees as carefully as you screen your permanent staff.
To further reduce your company’s liability, perform comprehensive background checks that search county court records for past criminal convictions. Studies show that temp hires often have criminal records and other issues that can lead to problems if you hire them. Remember, one bad temporary employee can lead to a million-dollar negligent hiring lawsuit. Insulate your business by screening them.
Related Posts:
Does Your Company Do Employment Background Checks On Outside Vendors?
4 Tips on How to Avoid Negligent Hiring Lawsuits
5 Reasons To Do Employee Background Checks
4 Questions Employers Have About Employee Screening
Photo Credit: Bludgeoner86
Do You Have a Sex Offender Working For You?
October 8, 2008
The man accused of kidnapping and killing his niece in June will be entering a plea of not guilty today in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vermont.
Michael Jacques, has decided not to appear at his arraignment. Authorities say Jacques could face the death penalty in the death of Brooke Bennett, 12, whom they say Jacques drugged, sexually assaulted, strangled and smothered.
At the time of Brooke Bennett’s death, Michael Jacques was working for a company that had not been doing employment background checks. If they had an employee screening program in place at the time they hired Jacques, they would have discovered a 1993 kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault conviction.
In this video, a company representative says “at the time our policy was we didn’t do background checks…that’s changed, over the last couple of months, we’ve actually changed our policy.”
Employers’ Obligation
Employers have a responsibility to provide a safe working environment for their staff. By hiring someone with a criminal record, they could be exposing their staff to an unnecessary risk.
Related Posts:
Does Your Job Applicant Have a Criminal Record?
Do You Have A Sex Offender In Your House?
Does Your Company Do Employment Background Checks On Outside Vendors?
Immigration Crackdown - HR Director Indicted
October 8, 2008
Federal authorities raided a poultry plant on Tuesday, detaining more than 300 workers believed to be in the country illegally and searching for evidence of unlawful hiring practices.
The plant’s human resources director, Elaine Crump, was arrested in July. She was indicted on 20 felony counts charging that she instructed employees to use fraudulent employment eligibility forms. She is expected in court later this month.
Authorities allege Crump instructed human resource employees to use previously signed employment verification documents for new hires. Crump knew that the company official who had signed the verification papers could not have witnessed whether immigrant job applicants provided the required documentation, the indictment states. That’s because the company official was no longer working at the plant.
Drug-Free Work Week
October 6, 2008
Drug-Free Work Week (October 20-26, 2008) is a dedicated time each year to highlight the benefits that drug-free workplace programs bring to employers, workers and communities. And, it’s a time to work toward making every week a drug-free work week!
It spreads the word that working drug free works to…
- Prevent accidents and make workplaces safer
- Improve productivity and reduce costs
- Encourage people with alcohol and drug problems to seek help
According to recent research, it’s a message that many workers need to hear.
- 75 percent of the nation’s current illegal drug users are employed—and 3.1 percent say they have actually used illegal drugs before or during work hours.
- 79 percent of the nation’s heavy alcohol users are employed—and 7.1 percent say they have actually consumed alcohol during the workday.
Drug-free workplace programs help protect employers and employees alike from the potentially devastating consequences of worker alcohol or drug abuse. Establishing policies, educating about the dangers of alcohol and drug use, deterring and detecting use, and urging people to seek help for alcohol and drug problems are smart safety strategies. They’re also smart business strategies.
Drug-Free Work Week is a time to reinforce the importance of working drug free in positive, proactive ways. To get Drug-Free Work Week resources or learn more about how your organization can participate, select one of the following:
- Drug-Free Work Week Tool Box
- Ideas for Individual Employers and their Employees
- Ideas for Associations and Unions
Related Posts and Articles:
Free Drug-Free Workplace Toolkit
Deciding Whether To Drug Screen Employees
Employee Screening and Drug Tests
Photo Credit: singsing_sky
Why Gaps In Employment Are A Red Flag
October 3, 2008
Employers have a hard enough time just finding qualified job candidates. But, making matters worse is the fact that many of those candidates could be hiding a number of problems in their past. Job seekers routinely lie on their applications and resumes, concealing details that would make them a bad hire.
On the other hand, employers may be confronted with gaps in employment on a resume or application. And while the reasons behind the gaps may be completely innocent, verifying what the candidate was doing during the lapse is essential. If neglected, employers may expose themselves to potentially disastrous consequences. Below, I’ll describe 2 reasons why gaps in employment should raise a massive red flag.
#1 - Possible Criminal History
A potential hire may have spent a 2-year lapse by traveling through Europe and exploring the world. But, what if he didn’t? It’s entirely possible that he actually spent that time in prison. If an employer fails to check the gap in history, they might never uncover the details. Hiring that person could lead to employee theft, harm to the staff and a number of other outcomes.
#2 - Ineffective Background Checks
There’s no way for an employer to conduct an effective background check when a job candidate has an unexplained gap in history. The reason why is because criminal records are typically kept at the county level. If the employer doesn’t know where the candidate was during the lapse, it’s impossible to know which county, or counties, to search for a criminal history.
Filling In The Blanks
It’s absolutely critical for employers to find out the reasons behind gaps in employment. Those lapses can hide a period of incarceration as well as make it impossible to conduct thorough background checks. Employers and hiring staff need to hunt for the details in order to avoid taking on a bad hire. The alternative can be devastating.
Related Posts and Articles:
Does Your Job Applicant Have a Criminal Record?
Can You Tell If Your Applicant Is Lying?
Photo Credit: vasilken
