| The most commonly stated reasons for conducting | | | | Typically this means you will be responsible for |
| employment screening involve protection. Employers | | | | negligent punitive damages in addition to actual |
| want to protect their customers, employees, | | | | damages. |
| products, inventories, intangible assets, reputations, | | | | A cheap, instant "nationwide" criminal background |
| and overall profitability from various forms of risk. | | | | check leaves a significant risk of missing prior criminal |
| Pre-employment screening is a tool that can be used | | | | activity. While this is the least expensive and fastest |
| to manage risk. Be aware though that a poor | | | | method, essentially all you are doing is throwing |
| screening strategy can actually increase your risk of | | | | money at the risk to be able to say you did a |
| employment litigation or a negligent hiring lawsuit. | | | | background check. This accomplishes little in terms of |
| How do you know if you're managing this risk or just | | | | managing risk as it is not likely to stand up to legal |
| throwing money at it? Imagine a worst-case scenario: | | | | scrutiny as a reasonable background check. |
| one of your employees assaults a customer or | | | | The industry standard for reasonable criminal history |
| co-worker and you are sued for damages. | | | | research is researching county criminal courts using a |
| The prosecution will look long and hard into the | | | | seven year address history obtained through a SSN |
| defendant's background to search for any previous | | | | Trace. The reliability of information gained in this |
| criminal history that could have been considered a | | | | manner cannot be surpassed, and it demonstrates a |
| predictor of the incident in question. If a history is | | | | logical and reasonable attempt to ascertain whether |
| found, the focus turns to your organization's | | | | an individual has committed previous crimes. |
| screening processes. | | | | Utilizing industry standard procedures will provide the |
| Legal precedent holds that "if you could have known, | | | | best protection against employment litigation. After |
| you should have known." Failure to perform a | | | | all, your screening investment does little to manage |
| background check or utilizing a substandard check | | | | your risk if your background check won't help your |
| that didn't uncover an existing history means that | | | | cause when you need it most! |
| your organization is likely to be found negligent. | | | | |