Sex Offenders – Page 12

In these tough economic times companies may be thinking about saving time and money by cutting back on their employee screening programs. This would be a big mistake! If you hire a dangerous or unfit person without doing proper “due diligence” and harm occurs, you are opening yourself up to a negligent hiring lawsuit.

Here are several tips to help you avoid a negligent hiring lawsuit :

1. Create a Program

Create an employee screening program for your company. This program should document employee screening policies and procedures for each position in the organization.

2. Train to Ensure Hiring Managers Follow the Program

Train all hiring managers on the employee screening policies and procedures. Document this training.

3. Audit Employee Screening Program

Create an audit procedure to make sure the employee screening program is being followed throughout the organization. Document this procedure.

4. Ensure FCRA Compliance

If you are using a third party employee screening service make sure they are in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Recently a Cincinnati nonprofit that teaches children hired a volunteer without doing an employment background check. It turns out the volunteer is a Tier III sex offender – the most dangerous kind. A Tier III sex offender is required to register every 90 days for life. The nonprofit only did background checks on the full time staff and not the volunteers.

It is an industry best practice to thoroughly screen all applicants for employment and volunteer positions at nonprofits.

A recent study of nonprofit organizations revealed these key findings:

Each day 144 individuals with criminal records applied for employment or a volunteer position with a non profit.
Every 11.5 hours, a registered sex offender attempted to obtain a position at a nonprofit.

4 Tips on How to Avoid Negligent Hiring Lawsuits

The Importance of Employee Screening for Nonprofits