Criminal Background Checks

As an employer, it's understandable that you need to learn as much as possible about a potential employee. A combination of employment program, personal references and background investigations may provide you a feeling of peace when approving an individual with responsibilities in your business. Additionally it is important that companies not rely solely upon the employment application alone. It's estimated that up to 30 percent of all programs contain some kind of falsifications or fabrications. Many methods exist to ask about the history of a candidate.

Among the most utilized kinds of background checks is the criminal background investigation. All businesses handle some form of sensitive information about some level. Retail companies want to be sure prospective workers are clean from theft charges to decrease the case of employee theft. Firms or non-profits dealing with seniors or children are legally obligated to understand the backgrounds of the employees. We have all heard the horror stories of an abusive childcare worker with a criminal history where the company was unaware. It's very important for the security and safety of both the company and those served that companies perform a comprehensive investigation of each worker.

Employers need to take care to restrict the information they need depending on the responsibilities of the particular job function. By way of example, when choosing an employee that will handle money transactions, employers will have to know whether the candidate has any previous convictions regarding theft. Additionally it is mandatory that the kinds of background investigations to be performed are clearly outlined in any pre-employment literature. With the rising concern about privacy, it's in the company's best interest to be upfront and honest about any question of this sort.

The execution of criminal history checks can significantly reduce the financial loss of an organization by weeding out those who have criminal convictions. Another example where criminal background checks may be helpful is when an employee will be addressing the public sector. To be able to limit the chances of negligence lawsuits, employers must think about criminal history checks as a conventional pre-employment screening tool.

When calling upon a private investigation company, an employer may not be certain of what information they really need. But some of the most frequent concerns are about criminal conviction. In reference to criminal history checks, the Fair Credit Reporting Act prohibits employers from approving employment to people who have been charged but not convicted of a crime. When interviewing a private investigation company, it's important to learn what information they collect and from what sources. Employers can be held responsible of violating Federal law if they refuse employment based on this sort of information.