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Are Background Checks Worth the Cost?

Obtaining background checks on job candidates is your opportunity to verify the information they provide on their resume, application and during their interview and hiring process. Moreover, it helps ensure a safe and profitable workplace – and serves as a valuable risk management tool to minimize the odds of a costly bad hire.

  • Thirty-six percent of Americans in one recent survey admitted to lying on their resumes. Most said they did so because they lacked experience or long-term employment. Other common resume lies were found to be related to skills and job duties.

Avoid Negligent Hiring Lawsuits

If you fail to conduct a background check, you may be liable for negligent hiring or retention if an employee is later involved in serious misconduct or illegal activity. Negligent hiring practices can cost a business millions of dollars in legal settlements. Any time or money you may think you’ve saved by omitting a background screen is a drop in the bucket by comparison.

  • Negligent hiring is a legal claim that individuals who are hurt in some way by one of your employees make in order to hold an employer responsible. Under such claims, companies are accused of knowingly hiring people who later posed a risk to others due to such factors as a criminal background or an unsafe driving record. Employers must then prove that they were not aware of those factors when they hired the employee. Employers who face claims of negligence are at a significant disadvantage if they failed to take steps to learn about any problems or issues in a job candidate’s past.

What a Background Check Can Reveal

A background check is your principal means of securing information about a potential hire from a source other than applicants themselves.

  • Is a candidate, in fact, unqualified for a position due to a record of criminal convictions, poor credit history, or other misrepresentation?
  • Can an individual’s former employers, coworkers, or educators confirm their abilities, track record and credentials?

As you weigh the cost of a background check, consider the importance of:

  • Ensuring safety: This includes potential harm that would be inflicted on other employees as a result of harassment or workplace violence; on your customers if incidents were to occur on company premises; on the public as a result of erratic behavior or negligent driving, or on your business through financial loss and/or reputational damage.
  • Maintaining high productivity: Past performance, which can be verified via a background check, used to be a strong indicator of a person’s future activities. Environment, culture, and management in a past role all play a part. With the right role and environment, a poor performer could come to their fullest potential.

Find Peace of Mind

Hand in hand with cost savings, it all comes down to peace of mind. As a business leader, you need to rest assured that you’re doing what’s right for your team – and you need to be able to sleep at night secure with this knowledge. So, don’t skimp on candidate background screenings.

In order to make the best investment possible, partner with a screening company that offers nothing less than the best in expertise, experience, knowledge, and resources. Chane Solution checks all these key boxes and more. We’re known nationwide as an industry leader in background screening and drug testing. Contact us today to learn more about us and how we can help you rest comfortably and keep your company safe, secure, and in a competitive leadership position.

 

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