FYI Employee Background Screening
Faster, Smarter, Easier Employee Screening
In light of the recent workplace violence in Connecticut, I thought it would be a good idea to share the following articles:
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 this information to dramatically lower the likelihood of it happening.
Photo Credit: sindesign
I just read an excellent article from the The Houston Chronicle entitled “Employers can minimize risk of workplace violence.”
The author stresses these important points:
“While violence cannot always be anticipated, this does not relieve employers of their obligation to provide a safe workplace. First, federal law requires it. With the Department of Labor adding investigators and stepping up workplace safety enforcement, compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations should be a management priority. Second, workers compensation insurance provides Texas employers only limited protection against liability from the inevitable lawsuits following a workplace tragedy.”
Photo credit: Flickr
Hospitals and health care facilities are in a uniquely vulnerable position. The problems that are associated with making a bad hiring decision are made worse by the fact that lives are at risk every moment. Not only is a hospital’s staff exposed, but patients can literally be defenseless. It’s important that any health care employee undergoes a criminal background check. Pre-employment screening should be done for doctors, nurses, other care providers, and even a hospital’s maintenance team. Plus, the screening should be ongoing for existing staff.
Today, I’ll explain the 3 most important reasons why hospitals and health care facilities must screen candidates before hiring them.
#1 – Danger To Staff
A hospital’s staff is often busy taking care of patients. Time is limited and it’s seldom spent wondering if a co-worker can be trusted or is going to cause physical harm. If an employee is hired with a violent criminal past, the staff is extremely vulnerable. Instruments can be used violently and medications can be used to poison others.
These things have happened in the past. They’ll happen again in the future. Health care employers must minimize the risk by performing comprehensive background checks on all applicants.
#2 – Danger To Patients
A prospective employee who has been convicted of a violent or drug-related crime is particularly unsuitable for a job that places him in close proximity to patients. Their immediate access to those who are helpless exposes both the patients and the hospital to enormous risk. Hospitals and other health care providers must screen both prospective hires and existing employees to manage this risk.
#3 – Potential Lawsuits
A negligent hiring lawsuit can be expensive. If a patient or staff member suffers physically as a result of insufficient pre-employment screening, they can sue the hospital for negligent hiring. It’s not uncommon for the courts to award compensation in the millions of dollars to victims of workplace violence.
Background Checks To Minimize Hiring Risk
Every business should screen applicants and conduct background checks. Health care employers, in particular, must be diligent with the screening process in order to protect their staff and patients from harm. By searching for past criminal records, verifying past employment and licenses, and clarifying any gaps in work history, they can avoid making a disastrous hiring decision. The alternative is exposing the staff, patients, and the hospital to a hiring catastrophe.
Photo Credit: José Goulão
Recent estimates suggest that over 50% of job applicants lie on their resumes. And when asked, nearly 70% of college graduates claim they would consider lying in order to get a job. For employers, this should be a major concern. At best, hiring an employee who lied on her resume wastes valuable time and resources. At worst, it can lead to workplace violence, theft, and negligent hiring lawsuits.
As applicants become increasingly comfortable with lying to potential employers, screening and background checks have never been more important. Today, I’ll expose 4 of the most common lies told by job candidates.
Lie #1: “Yes, I Earned That Degree”
Applicants lie about the degrees they’ve earned all the time. In some cases, they may have attended the school, but never finished their coursework. In other cases, they may have never attended the school in the first place. It’s a common lie because employers often fail to verify the information.
Lie #2: “I Don’t Have A Criminal Record”
Sometimes, applicants will lie outright about their criminal past. Other times, they’ll change small details such as how their name is spelled, the date they were born, or the cities in which they’ve lived. This can be a major hiring issue and employers need to carefully validate what they’re being told.
Lie #3: “I’ve Been Steadily Employed”
A lot of applicants realize that a gap in their employment history raises eyebrows. From an employer’s perspective, the gap may imply that the applicant spent in prison. So, candidates will lie about it, disguising gaps by changing dates or even creating jobs from thin air.
Lie #4: “My Salary At My Previous Job Was…”
Potential hires often inflate their salaries to give them more leverage over future salary negotiations. Offering a compensation package based upon misleading salary information can cost an employer tens of thousands of dollars.
Finding The Truth
Hiring an employee who has lied on their resume or application has become a significant problem for employers. But, the lies can be easily exposed by your hiring staff or an employee screening service. By doing extensive background checks on applicants, you can discover the truth. And that can make your business less vulnerable to a bad hire.
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Tags: Workplace Violence, Negligent Hiring Lawsuits, Gaps in Employment, Employment Background Checks
Photo Credit: ktylerconk
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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