The Downfalls of Letting Candidates Start Work Before their Background Check is Cleared

You have a business-critical position to fill. For every day it sits open, profits, momentum and team morale are suffering. And now, you’ve found a candidate who seems to fit the bill perfectly: they have the right skills and qualifications, a winning personality, and the ability to join your team on short notice. The only requirement lacking is a completed background check.  

Should you wait till this final step is done – or let the individual start work on Monday, with background test results still pending? After all, you can always let them go in the unlikely event the results are unsatisfactory … because, darn, they look like an awesome fit … 

Not a Chance You Can Afford to Take 

As reported in PR Newswire, 46 percent of workers in a recent survey said they knew someone who included false information on their resume. This was a 25-point jump from a 2011 poll. Fifty-three percent of senior managers said they suspected candidates often stretched the truth, and 38 percent said they had removed applicants from consideration after discovering they had lied. 

Here are some of the leading reasons completing comprehensive background checks before allowing a person to start work is so critical to your long-term business success: 

• Higher quality hires: Fewer candidates with serious discrepancies, discouragement of those who may be trying to hide something and more applications from individuals dedicated to working in a safe environment. 
• Reduced workplace violence: According to a U.S. Department of Justice survey, 1.75 million days of work are lost each year by victims of workplace violence. The cost in lost wages alone is about $55 million. Knowing whether a potential hire has been involved in criminal activity allows you to determine if they post a potential threat to others. 
• Protection against liability: Negligent hiring liability holds you responsible for what you know – and should have known – about your employees, even extending to their actions off the job. Courts have repeatedly rule that employers have a duty to exercise reasonable care in hiring individuals who may pose a threat to the public. 
• Less fraud: The ACFE: 2012 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse notes that the typical organization loses five percent of its annual revenue to occupational fraud. Approximately 30 percent of employees admit to stealing from their employers. Through thorough background checking, you can greatly reduce or eliminate the risk of employee dishonesty losses. 

A Note on Employees with Access to Living Quarters 

If your employees have access to residences and living quarters, you have a moral and legal obligation to ensure a safe environment for consumers, even when working with subcontractors. A recent case involving a Best Buy appliance delivery is a tragic and costly example. 

Trust in Chane!

Be sure to work with a background screening company that ensures you have complete confidence in every hire. Chane Solutions is a trusted source for all your candidate screening and drug testing needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you and your business.