Negligent hiring lawsuits are rampant, wherein plaintiffs attempt to show that employers hire applicants without properly confirming the information on the employment application, and it is later discovered that the individual has a background indicating a propensity for misconduct on the job. The issue hinges on whether or not the employer exercised “reasonable care” in selecting his employees.

With the onset of a terrorist attack on the U.S. on 09/11/01 and ongoing threats to U.S. businesses, emphasis has been slanted to terrorist threat management and begins with the employees that businesses hire. Knowing who your employees really are, not who they say they are, is paramount in today's society. Many times potential problems are thwarted due to information discovered in the employment screening process. In order to maintain work place safety, information security, and a policy to defend against negligent hiring law suits, thorough screening of potential employees is not only necessary, but mandatory.

Finding honest, qualified employees is an increasingly difficult task in today's mobile and rapidly changing society. Hiring decisions made today can adversely affect the future of a company for many years to come.

With many states now allowing illegal aliens to obtain State appointed drivers licenses, knowing who is legally eligible for employment in the U.S. is growing increasingly difficult. Make no mistake about it, if you hire an ineligible employee, regardless of why, you could be held liable. This information is usually uncovered in a thorough pre-employment screening process. PIC has discovered many potential employees, with social security numbers and cards, who were not legally eligible for work in the U.S. , but had passed criminal background checks and had clear driving records and current drivers licenses.

Current Statistics:

• The society for Human Resource Management states 45% of all resumes contain one major fabrication.
• The Wall Street Journal said that 34% of all application forms contain outright lies about experience, education, and the ability to perform essential functions of the job.
• College and University registrars report that at least 60% of the verifications they receive contain falsified information.
• The Small Business Administration said that employees at all levels falsify their backgrounds.
• The American Management Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said the 30% of all small business failure is caused by employee theft.
• According to the Bureau of National Affairs, from $15 - 25 billion is lost each year due to employee theft.

In spite of inherent liabilities in employee selection, many companies still do not take the time to thoroughly check the background of new employees, assuming that everything on the applications is true. In most instances, this is simply not the case.

By thoroughly and systematically checking the background of potential employees, companies show the highest regard for their business and their current employees, as the quality of the employee most often reflects the quality of the business.

We would welcome the opportunity to work with you to design an employment screening program that best meets the needs of your specific business, and which will allow you to make hiring decisions with assurance and certainty.

Consider how the following might allow you to make more informed hiring decisions:

• Criminal Convictions History
  A county level record of past convictions in locales where the applicant has resided for the past seven or ten years.
  
  
• Social Security Number Verification
  Verify that an SSN is valid and belongs to the applicant using it.
  
  
• Consumer History
  Corroborate past employment, true identity and residence, as well as credit history.
  
  
• Driving Record
  A complete record identifying bad driving habits, DWI's, and other offenses.
  
  
• Employment Verification
  Verify dates, positions held, reasons for leaving, and eligibility for rehire for applicants. This aids in showing dates of inactivity as well as false information on an application.
  
  
• Education Verification
  Verify college and university attendance and degrees claimed by the applicant. For entry level personnel, High School Education can be verified as well.

CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO REALLY KNOW WHO YOU ARE HIRING?

Please contact us for a FREE consultation:

(325) 676-1999
pic@abilene.com