Background checks are a vital element of hiring a new employee. But why is it so crucial, and what do they entail? The following discusses everything employers need to know about the importance of background checks.
Pre-Employment Screening: Why are background checks important?
- Criminal record checks
- Employer liability and due diligence
- Workplace safety
- Determining competence
Criminal record checks
The first thing that probably springs to mind regarding background checks is to ensure a person doesn’t have an undisclosed criminal record. While minor offenses might not necessarily present a barrier to employment, the failure to freely disclose this will undoubtedly cast doubts over their integrity and your decision to hire.
Employer liability and due diligence
As an employer, you’re responsible for ensuring that those you hire are suitably qualified and of the good character needed to carry out the position you expect them to do. Negligent hiring that later results in misconduct at any level can run into litigation that represents huge amounts of money (to the tune of, potentially, millions of dollars). Due diligence at this stage is not only money well spent, but it’s also an employer’s responsibility to ensure that it’s sufficiently carried out.
Workplace safety
Everyone in the workplace is entitled to expect that their workplace is as safe as possible. Hiring an individual without the relevant background checks leads to vulnerability for everyone who works there, customers, and visitors alike. Criminals, such as those prosecuted for violent acts or sexual offenses, have the potential for significant risk to workplace safety. Should such individuals be hired without the correct checks carried out it compromises the safety of all and, should an incident occur, the employer is highly likely to be held to account.
Determining competence
It’s imperative to ensure the person has the experience they claim for the role you’re about to hire them for. Background checks confirm relevant qualifications, past jobs, education, membership of professional bodies, and more. They also add a further step to the hiring process and confirm that you’ve made the right decision to select the candidate for the role you need to fill.
What’s Included in a Background Check?
- Different levels of background checks
Different levels of background checks
The position applied for and the sensitivity of the role will determine the level of background check necessary for each individual. Screening includes but isn’t limited to the following:
– Criminal database checks
– Sex offender searches
– Motor vehicle records
– Employment verification
– Qualification verification
– Court searches
– Credit history
– Personal license checks
– Military service
– Right to work in the US
– Fingerprint background checks
Checks can be carried out at county, state, federal, national, and international levels, depending on the needs for the role and company procedures.
Trust Fast Guard Service to Carry Out Employee Background Checks
One issue for employers is the ease by which they can carry out necessary background checks. For many, handing the task across to a professional and experienced source, such as Fast Guard Service, is not only cost-effective, it ensures the necessary high-level and speed of service for an effective turnaround.
Fast Guard’s familiarity with every level of background checks—from basic employee through to the deep vetting required for top-level and sensitive positions—allows employers to be assured that they’ve carried out the utmost in due diligence to ensure quality hires. Fast Guard’s specialty in security for all aspects of industry around the globe makes them the primary choice for everything to do with commercial security hires.
To find out how Fast Guard’s professional team can assist with your firm’s background checks, visit //fastguardservice.com and schedule a no-obligation consultation.