There are varying opinions regarding which types of businesses need to check their employment prospects’ police records before hiring them, and which employees should undergo these checks. The simple fact is that all businesses should have some kind of employment screening program in place, and this program should include all employees.
When most people think about employers that check for police records they think of schools, daycare centers, summer camps, law enforcement, security, elder care, banking, and so on. But what about carpet cleaning companies, lawn care companies, or country clubs? Do these types of businesses need to run background checks? Of course they do. If you were the owner of a carpet cleaning company, would you knowingly send someone with a history of theft to go clean a customer’s home? I would hope not. This could result in unwanted liabilities for your business as well as bad reviews on Yelp or Angie’s List. Furthermore, hiring an employee with a history of theft could result in your own equipment and other property being stolen.
Now let’s consider some other types of businesses like gyms or bars. Rolling the dice and not checking the police records of the employees of these businesses could result in all sorts of problems. Your new bartender candidate may have a history of fighting, assaults, or disorderly conduct. This is certainly not the kind of person you want interacting with hundreds of your customers each week. Likewise, before you hire a new personal trainer for the gym, you may want to verify that he is not a registered sex offender.
The bottom line is that all businesses should be checking police records before hiring employees. Along with protecting business owners from thefts and bad social media reviews, proper screening also guards against liability that may arise from unfortunate interactions between bad hires and the general public. Given the affordability of a background check, there is no reason for businesses to roll the dice when hiring employees.
For more information on conducting a background check call 1-800-348-0511 or click here to request a free quote.