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Deciding Whether To Drug Screen Employees

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As a hiring manager, you may initially feel uncomfortable with the thought of requiring drug tests from job applicants. Some human resources personnel feel that doing so encroaches upon applicants’ privacy. In truth, drug screening prospective hires can protect your company and your employees. Here are a few reasons why you should drug screen job candidates…

Drug Screening Protects Your Business

Drugs If you hire an employee who has a history of drug abuse, you could be held partially or fully liable for his actions while on the job. By drug screening applicants, you can eliminate those who have had a drug problem in the past. If something drug-related were to happen in the workplace and an employee is injured, prior drug screening would help insulate your company from a negligent hiring claim.

It Maintains Employees’ Safety

Some jobs require employees to operate machinery or potentially-harmful devices. If an employee who is operating this machinery under the influence of drugs makes a mistake, other workers can be injured. Not only will a drug screen prevent drug abuse in the workplace from endangering your staff in the first place, but it’s often a legal requirement for employers.

Drug Abuse Can Have A Massive Cost

If your workplace or your staff is exposed to an employee with a drug problem, the costs can be enormous. It can lead to employees becoming hurt, expenses related to negligent hiring lawsuits and damage to computers, machinery and other company assets. In some cases, the actions of employees who are under the influence of drugs have resulted in businesses having to close.

Drug screening job candidates plays a key role in finding high-quality employees for your company. Doing so protects your current staff from injury and insulates the workplace from damage and disruption. Finally, it helps shield your company from negligent hiring lawsuits. If you’ve been reluctant to conduct drug screening on new hires, consider the above reasons. The sooner you include it in your employee screening program, the better.

Related Posts:

Free Drug-Free Workplace Toolkit

4 Tips on How to Avoid Negligent Hiring Lawsuits

5 Smart Hiring Tips To Implement Today

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4 Tips For Preventing Workplace Violence

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GunsAs stress and frustration in the workplace reach an all-time high, employers have begun to cast a wary glance at their hiring practices. Violence in the workplace is not new. Most of us can remember the incidents that led to the term “going postal.” Today, many hiring managers are aware that companies are often held liable for the actions of their employees. Below, I’m going to give you 4 quick tips to reduce that liability and prevent workplace violence.

Tip #1: Do A Background Check

An extensive background check on a job applicant should reveal any workplace violence in her past. In many cases, companies that have witnessed one (or more) of their employees becoming violent failed to conduct a proper background check. Don’t make the same mistake.

Tip #2: Call Past Employers

Often, violent incidents in the workplace aren’t formally reported. Sometimes, filing a report simply falls through the cracks. Other times, an employer may feel that reporting the incident would be troublesome. However, a quick phone call to past employers can help uncover such episodes.

Tip #3: Create A Strict Policy

You should communicate to workers that violence or threats of violence will lead to termination. Often, this type of zero-tolerance procedure is enough to dissuade employees from losing control.

Tip #4: Watch For Red Flags During Interviews

Even if a potential employee does not have a history of workplace violence, your company could witness the first incident. However, interviewers can be trained to note certain mannerisms that manifest when confrontational questions are asked.

Protecting Your Staff And Your Company

In the end, preventing workplace violence means protecting your employees from injury and protecting your company from disruption and lawsuits. While it’s impossible to guarantee that an employee will never act violently in the workplace, you can use the 4 tips above to dramatically lower the likelihood of it happening.

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What You Need To Know About The FCRA

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An important part of doing a background check on potential hires is accessing their credit information. While it’s not always the case, credit history can be an effective barometer of how responsible and trustworthy an employee will be once you hire him. That being said, the privacy rights of your potential hires are protected by the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Today, I want to explain a few important points about the FCRA that you need to know.

Asking Job Candidates’ Permission

Before you access a job candidate’s consumer report (prepared specifically by a consumer reporting agency), you must notify him. Then, you need to receive written permission from the candidate to access the report. One of the provisions of the FCRA is that an employer must communicate to a job applicant that the consumer report may be used to make a hiring decision.

Notifying Candidates Of Adverse Actions

If you end up not hiring a job candidate because of what you discover on his consumer report, you need to tell him so. It can be done in writing, over the phone, or with an email. But, the adverse action has to be communicated.

Failing To Comply

If you fail to comply with the provisions of the FCRA, you may be held liable. If you don’t ask a potential employee for permission before accessing his consumer report, he can file a lawsuit against your company. Similarly, if you fail to notify him of any adverse action you’ve taken, he can also file a lawsuit.

Using The FCRA For Access

Reviewing a job applicant’s credit history can help you make good hiring decisions. While the FCRA was created to protect the privacy of individuals, it provides employers the opportunity to legally access applicants’ credit information. Its provisions require employers to follow certain rules in doing so. But, these hurdles should not prevent you from checking the credit history of potential employees. The hiring disasters you can avoid in the long-run makes it worthwhile.

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Top 4 Things You Need To Know About Employee Screening

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It’s boggling to think about, but many employers still fail to conduct adequate employee screening. Sometimes, it’s the cost. Other times, it’s the perceived inconvenience. But, screening your employees before you hire them is critical. Here are the top 4 things you need to realize about employee screening…

#1 – It Protects Your Staff

Screening your employees is an integral piece to weeding out potential hires who might cause violence in your workplace. By weeding them out, you help ensure the safety of your staff.

#2 – Felonies Are The Tip Of The Iceberg

While there are some job candidates who have been convicted of a felony, there are many more who have been convicted of a misdemeanor. That includes physical assaults, inappropriate sexual behavior and even weapons charges. Plus, keep in mind that felonies are often pled down to misdemeanors.

#3 – Enormous Long-Term Savings

The cost of doing a background check on a job applicant is often less than what you’ll pay that applicant for their first day working. But, if that new employee turns out to be a problem, it can cost your company tens of thousands of dollars.

#4 – Ongoing Screening Is Important

A lot of employers conduct an initial background check before hiring a person. But, they never follow-up with subsequent checks. Periodic background checks on your current staff can help your company manage the ongoing risk of a potential problem erupting.

Screening your employees involves much more than simply calling their references and past employers. Your human resources personnel should have a screening process in place to conduct background checks on both prospective hires and your current staff. The cost of neglecting to do so can be massive.