The Importance Of Post-Hire Background Checks
July 7, 2009
The Columbus Dispatch reported:
Five years ago, Tristan J. Quintero passed the background check that enabled him to get a job caring for mentally disabled Ohioans.
The state doesn’t require post-hire background checks, so workers are trusted to self-report subsequent offenses that could disqualify them. But Quintero apparently told no one that he’d been convicted on weapons charges in 2008 and indicted again in May.
As a result, he was still on the job the night of May 28, 2009. That’s when he left the apartment of his disabled South Side client, James Monroe, and raped a neighbor, police said.
Could This Horrible Crime Have Been Prevented?
There’s a good chance Quintero’s weapon’s charge would have been discovered if periodic background checks were done after he was hired. And this crime could have been prevented.
Most organizations understand the importance of conducting pre-employment background screening, but many companies don’t properly consider the continued risks employees present after they are hired.
Here are 4 Tips On Setting Up A Post-Hire Screening Program
- Establish a written policy for post employment screening. Candidates and employees should have a full understanding of the company’s screening policies and procedures, especially when conducting post-hire screenings.
- Make sure you have a signed release form authorizing the right to conduct a background check throughout employment. Here is an example of the language that could be used on the Disclosure and Authorization form:
“I have carefully read and understand this Disclosure and Authorization form and the attached summary of rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. By my signature below, I consent to the release of consumer reports and investigative consumer reports prepared by a consumer reporting agency, such as FYI Screening, Inc., to the Company and its designated representatives and agents. I understand that if the Company hires me, my consent will apply, and the Company may obtain reports, throughout my employment.”
- Be consistent with your post employment screening. Your online screening system should have a feature built-in which makes it easy to rescreen current employees.
- We recommend companies re-screen employees annually or biannually.
Conclusion
Implementing a post-hire screening program can help reduce workplace loss, retain the best employees and mitigate a company’s risk.
Contact FYI Screening, Inc. if you need help with implementing your company’s post-hire screening program.
Photo Credit: i_yudai
Small Business Guide To Pre-Employment Background Checks
June 25, 2009
Business.gov helps small businesses understand their legal requirements, and locate government services supporting the nation’s small business community.
This site is easy to use and an excellent resource for small businesses. The Employment & Labor Law section covers the following areas:
Read How To Stay Compliant With Pre-Employment Background Checks.
Smart Business Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening, Inc. is a leading global provider of employee screening solutions to corporations, government agencies, healthcare systems and educational institutions.
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Employee Screening Articles For February 2009
March 2, 2009
In case you missed any of our employee screening articles for February, here’s a quick recap of our most popular:
Smart, Compliant Hiring Decisions Made Easy
FYI Screening, Inc. is a leading global provider of employee screening solutions to corporations, government agencies, healthcare systems and educational institutions.
- Contact us for a 10 minute online demo of the easiest, most cost-effective and reliable solution for employee screening.
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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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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.
Subscribe to our blog to get more tips and articles on employee screening.
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?
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
$100 Million For E-Verify
October 2, 2008
On September 30, 2008, President Bush signed a spending bill (H.R. 2638) which includes $100 million in funding for the E-Verify Program until March 6, 2009.
E-Verify is an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee’s I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases.
The E-Verify program was scheduled to sunset at the end of November 2008 if it was not extended or reauthorized. The Department of Homeland Security’s Appropriations bill allocated $100 million and 255 positions for E-Verify.
E-Verify still remains a voluntary program even though some states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina and most recently Missouri have all mandated its use in some form.
With this funding, I expect there will be a push for more states to mandate it’s use even though it’s not a perfect system.
Photo Credit: O.Cosma
