Hiring. Requiring a background check can be used to deter applicants trying to hide something in their past. An applicant may think twice about even trying to apply for the position posted due to their past activities. This will keep the number of people who have questionable pasts down dramatically. Also this will attract applicants who wanting to be working in a safe environment with people that having similar backgrounds.
Workplace Violence. Each year 1.75 million days of work are lost by victims of workplace violence. The cost for workplace violence comes at a very high price, around $55 million per year in lost wages. Incidents like this destroy a company’s productivity, value, and imagine. Not background screening someone’s past may put the company at high risk for repeat offenders to cause violence once again.
Employee Dishonesty. Once the hiring process has started there is a chance that applicants are going to lie about their past. Research shows almost 30% of employees admit to stealing from there employers in the past. When applying a background screen an employer can look into the applicant’s history of stealing or run-ins with the law and completely avoid any sort of risk all together by turning them away due to their past.
Federal and State Mandates. Employers need to use every legal tool at their disposal to learn about their applicants and make the correct hiring choices. As long as you follow the rules put together by EEOC and the FCRA, background checks are entirely legal and will be expected by most applicants. Use them to clarify the hiring process and find the right person for the job.
Success. The ultimate goal with building any small business or company is success, which begins with trust. Background screening is to ensure what an applicant tells you about their past is in fact true. Employers will benefit knowing they’ve created a safer, more secure work environment, staffed by qualified employees.