Posts Tagged ‘social security verification’

Is an Employee Driving Report Necessary for my Business?

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

A driving record is important for a number of reasons. For one, a driving record will document all the different violations, points loss, insurance details, vehicle details and accidents of the past – all of this information will impact your car insurance rate and thus, the better driving record you have, the better car insurance rate you will be offered. However, a driving record is not only an essential document to order as an individual, but it can also be a great way to determine if a person is suited for a job in your company. For business owners, no matter the type of business, an employee driving report will give you the insider knowledge into someone’s habits on the road. This is especially important in occupations where driving is part of the job description.  

If you employ any type of driver, then an employee driving record is something that should not be missed. This goes for those who are employed to drive schools buses, tour buses,
taxis, limousines, delivery trucks and so forth. However, there are several careers where driving may not be the main job criterion but where driving is most certainly necessary. Furthermore, if you are offering
a company vehicle to your employees, then you are not only putting other drivers at risk by not checking an employee’s driving record, but you are also putting your company’s name and reputation on the line
as well.  

Client- Based Companies and Employment Screening Driving Reports  

There are certain careers where client satisfaction is of utmost importance and where good people skills will drive your business forward. This is true in the real estate industry
and any other sales-related field. Very often this client interaction does not occur just in the comforts of the office. In the case of real estate, client interactions also take place on the road as a realtor navigates through the streets showing houses to potential buyers. If you discover through an employment driving report that your new realtor
is also a speed demon on the road, you might not feel comfortable letting him drive a company car filled with potential clients (and, racing down the freeway at 40 miles over the speed limit, these clients are most
likely not at ease either). Furthermore, it will be embarrassing not only for the driver, but also for you as the business owner, when your company car is pulled over on the side of the highway for speeding or
drunk driving. There is no catchy slogan that will help your company in this situation.  

If you own any type of client-based business where driving to and from work, or driving around throughout the day is part of the job description, then it may be a good idea to
check the driving records of your potential employees.   

Safety and Driving Reports 

Another industry where a driving report should be essential when choosing employees is in the construction and earth moving industry. Operating heavy machinery not only requires
a certain ticket and license, but should also involve an employer check into a potential employees’ driving backgrounds to make sure they have not made a lot of mistakes on the road. Careless highway driving
can often lead to careless heavy vehicle driving as well. And, when you are on a job site, safety always comes first. Any heavy machinery operators from pavers to dozer drivers, from heavy duty mechanics to
backhoe drivers, should not only have the experience and the qualifications needed to drive these machines, but also have a clean, or near clean, employee driving record. After all, in most instances, it’s your company
name that is on the machines and your men working in the field, so you want to protect both your reputation and your workers from any unsafe situation.

Careers with Children and Employee Driving Records

With a career that is, in any way, children-orientated, there are a number of employment record checks that should be included in the hiring process. Most government agencies
and schools require not only certification, but also a criminal background check and social security verification for anyone wanting to work around children. However, a driving report is also an important document to
check. This should be required for teachers, day care workers or nannies to name a few. Teachers often drive students to extra-curricular activities, such as basketball games, especially if they happen to be the coach.
Furthermore, many childcare workers will drive on field trips and many daycares offer a pick-up/drop-off service for busy moms. Nannies are often given access to a vehicle to drive the children to the library,
school and other places throughout the day. If your potential child care worker has three DWI offenses, then you might think twice about putting her behind the wheel of your daycare van. You need to put the
protection of the children first and this means hiring only the most experienced and safest people to work on your team.  

There are a number of careers where driving is the main criterion; however, there are even more occupations where driving may not be the most important aspect of the job description, but is necessary on a daily basis. Regardless of whether you own a trucking company or a child care business, it is important to look into potential employees’ driving records and other employment background services before handing out the job. It is not only your company’s reputation that is on the line – it is also the safety of clients, workers, children and other drivers on the road. A driving report can give you that extra protection both on and off the road to help you make the best decision about your next employee.

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Shocking Employee Statistics – How Employment Screening Can Literally Save your Business

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Recent numbers published by
the American Data Bank suggest that employment screening services are
more important than ever. Employee theft rates are up; employee security
is down; furthermore, potential employees are continuously falsifying
their resume or ‘forgetting’ to reveal important information about
their past, leaving employers in the dark about who they are putting
on the payroll. The following figures warn that something needs to be
done to stop employees from taking advantage of the trust of companies
and employers across America:  

  • 40% of information
    on a resume is misrepresented while 30% of applications contain false
    material/information.
  • 45% of all potential
    employees either have a criminal record, a bad driving record, worker’s
    compensation claim or a bad credit history.
  • 95% of all companies
    are victims of theft yet only 10% ever discover it.
  • 40% of American
    drivers have a violation on their driving record. Furthermore, 25% do
    not have insurance at all.

 

But what can be done? Apart
from only hiring those you know, love and trust (and committing nepotism
in the process), is there any way to protect your company from these
scary numbers? Many employers are choosing employment-screening services
as a way to ensure they know exactly whom they are hiring and thus protecting
their business from these shocking statistics.

The Meaning Behind the
Statistics

 

Let’s look at these numbers
closely and see what the statistics actually mean for any regular Joe
employer. Regardless of whether you are the owner of a large corporation
or the manager of a small retail store, these statistics can affect
you if you do not take the necessary precautions. 

  • 40% of information
    on a resume is misrepresented while 30% of applications contain false
    material/information.

 

A resume is the gateway for
all potential employees and, most often, the first impression an employer
will get. A nicely typed resume brimming with successful job positions,
dotting references and high caliber credentials will leave any employer
impressed and wanting to learn more. However, often the information
you just read is actually not true. Employees will falsify information
about previous work experience, job titles and education. It can be
fairly easy to add a few job titles to the “Work Experience” section
to try and beef up your resume. Furthermore, a year from Harvard has
a much nicer ring than the truth, which could be that the education
received was from an insignificant community college (and the applicant
dropped out after two semesters). Unfortunately, many employers are
none the wiser until they have already hired the person and discovered
that he is not the expert his resume suggests. One of the ways to eliminate
this risk is to perform an employment screening background check, focusing
on the social security verification of the employee. Employers will
receive a list of previous work experience related to the employer’s
social security number so they can see separate fact from fiction when
searching through resumes.  
 

  • 45% of all potential
    employees either have a criminal record, a bad driving record, worker’s
    compensation claim or a bad credit history.

 

This is an appalling statistic
that no employer wants to hear. Out of the 20 people you just interviewed
in the past week, 9 of them have a secret past that could negatively
impact the future of your company. And, you most likely would be none
the wiser based on the information received through the interview and
application process. The only way to know for sure what skeletons are
in a potential employee’s closet is to perform a criminal background
search, a driving record search and a credit report. These three employment
screening searches can help you filter the good apples from the bad.  

  • 95% of all companies
    are victims of theft yet only 10% ever discover it.

 

There are so many different
ways an employee can take advantage of a company. While some employees
who commit employee theft will use traditional theft methods such as
stealing directly from the cash register or taking stock from the back
room, others have employee theft down to a science. Some employees will
even work together to commit white-collar crimes that could end up costing
you hundreds of thousands of dollars. You cannot afford to watch over
every single employee every single day, but you can insure your company
against employee theft crimes by checking a potential employee’s criminal
background record. If there are instances of shoplifting, theft, fraud,
larceny or other white-collar crimes on the criminal background record,
then this could be an indication to continue your search for your next
top employee elsewhere.  

  • 40% of American
    drivers have a violation on their driving record. Furthermore, 25% do
    not have insurance at all.

 

But what does this have to
do with your company? In some instances, it won’t matter what kind
of driving record a potential employee has. However, in many cases,
it will. If your employee will have access to a company vehicle, then
all of a sudden your name could easily be tarnished if the employee
happens to get in an accident. Furthermore, if driving is part of the
job description (for example, bus drivers, taxi drivers, real estate
agents, delivery truck drivers, service workers, laborers, etc), then
you could be not only endangering your company’s reputation, but also
others on the road or at the job site.  Just because a potential
employee has two previous DWI offenses on his record does not necessarily
mean he will commit another drinking and driving offense. However, are
you willing to put your company at risk on these odds?  

Playing it Safe with Employment
Screening 

Employment screening is not
necessary in every instance; however, more and more employers refuse
to risk it and are including employee screening as a routine part of
the hiring process. Perhaps the next decade will bring these appalling
employee statistics down. But, until then, it’s a good idea to protect
your business now to avoid becoming just another statistic in the future.  

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Who Should Consider Government Background Checks?

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Government background check services provide anyone with the key to important information. They are fast, effective and affordable. But who will really benefit from knowing a person’s criminal history, credit rating or employment record? Below we’ve listed five groups of people who should always consider government background checks for their important personal and business transactions.

Employers and Business Owners

There are a number of different services available for employers and business owners who are looking for a smarter way to ensure they are hiring the right person. Employment screening services include social security verification, credit checks, criminal record checks and driving records to name a few. All of these can be useful for business owners who want to learn a little more about their potential employee.

Social security verification checks will give you access to your potential employee’s employment history so you can check his resume against the truth. It’s a good idea to know that your potential employee does really have 5 years of experience in journalism (like his resume suggests) before hiring him as one of your top reporters.  For those who run a transportation business or for those who need an employee to drive here, there and everywhere, a driving report can ensure that your potential employee is not a convicted felon charged with multiple DUI offenses.

Any employer and business owner can benefit from criminal background checks, especially when they discover that their potential financial analyst has been recently convicted of fraud. This is something you want to know before you put an employee on the payroll. After all, not knowing this information could end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars in insider corporate crimes down the road.

Landlords

Landlords have a responsibility not only to themselves, but also to their other tenants, to ensure that their choice in tenant is the right one. Tenant background checks provide landlords with the confidence that they are renting their apartments out to the right people. A criminal background check will confirm your potential tenant is free of any criminal behavior including sex crimes and terrorist crimes. This will provide your other tenants, especially those with small children, with an additonal level of comfort. A credit report can establish a level of trust that your tenant will be able to pay the rent on time, every time. Excessive debt and penalty fees for outstanding payments might suggest that your tenant will have trouble coming up with the rent each month.

Additonal government background check services that are useful to landlords include the eviction search, which allows you to see potential tenants’ previous renting histories. If they have been evicted on numerous occasions, then perhaps you should keep looking. Landlords can also benefit from employment background checks, as it will provide them with the assurance that their tenants are actively employed and thus able to make the rent each month.

There is nothing worse than discovering that your ‘perfect’ tenant is a party-loving, unemployed, rent-skipping deadbeat. Government background checks can help you avoid these tenants before they move in down the hall.

Parents with Small Children

When children are involved, it’s always a good idea to take advantage of government background check services. Parents will conduct background checks on babysitters, nannies or care givers as a way to ensure that their children are not being left in the hands of a convicted criminal. A criminal search is a great way to identify sex offenders in the area. Parents may also want to check up on neighbors, teachers, counselors, instructors and other adults that their children spend a lot of time with. After all, you just never know and, when it comes to your children, you can never be too safe.

Important Business Transactions and Personal Decisions

For those looking into buying a business, government background checks can provide you with the assurance that the person you are buying the business from, as well as the business itself, is up to par. A background check, such as a credit report, will be able to identify the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that you could be facing down the road. If you are considering doing any type of business, it is always a good idea to look into a criminal background check or credit report for your own security.

Many people who are considering marriage will also look into government background check services before walking down the aisle. Why?  Because you have a right to know exactly who you are marrying. We’ve all heard horror stories about people discovering their spouses are not who they thought after the papers have been signed. It’s best to know that you are not committing to a life with a convicted murderer or promising to support someone with a mountain of overwhelming debt. You need to look out for your best interests and often a government background check will provide you with the added incentive to take the plunge and get down on one knee.

For Litigation Purposes

If you are currently involved in any type of legal filing, then government background checks often provide you with the ammunition you need to win your case. A background check can reveal the truth, and nothing but the truth, about people. Often when someone lies about their credit report, their driving history, or their employment history, they are also lying about other aspects of their life as well. Proving the truth with government documented background checks can be used to attack their credibility where it counts – in a court of law.

Government background checks can provide anyone with information about friends, family members, neighbors, teachers, lovers, employees, landlords and so forth. In the above five instances, knowing this information can help avoid any serious errors in judgment and provide you with the knowledge needed to make the right decision.

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How to Avoid White Collar Crimes in your Business – Employment Background Services

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

White-collar crimes are crimes committed in the business environment. They usually involve an employee or a group of employees who are taking money from the company. Employee theft is one of the most common types of white-collar crimes but there are several other severe crimes that fall under this term, including the following:

  • Fraud
  • Identity theft
  • Embezzlement
  • Exhortation
  • Insider Trading
  • Racketeering
  • Larceny/Theft
  • Money Laundering
  • Bribery
  • Blackmail

Any business owner, regardless of the size of the business, should be aware that employee theft, white-collar crimes, fraud and other corporate crimes are constantly on the rise. Furthermore, business owners should be aware of the different methods involved in stopping white-collar criminal behavior in their business before it’s too late. This may include installing security measures, hiring additional security staff or completing employee background checks during the hiring process. These measures will help reduce your company’s chance of becoming just another statistic in a long line of white-collar crimes.

Statistics on Employee Theft and White Collar Crimes

The statistics surrounding corporate crimes are astonishing to say the least. Below are some of the facts and figures that make up the United States white-collar crime industry.

  • Nearly one third of all employees commit some degree of employee theft, according to the Department of Justice.
  • Employee theft costs businesses over $50 billion annually in losses, according to the US Chamber of Commerce.
  • Employee theft accounts for ten times the value of street crime losses annually in the USA.
  • The banking industry reports the highest loss due to employee theft and white-collar crimes with $1 billion annual losses.
  • Employee theft is increasing at a rate of 15% annually and, the FBI reports, is one of the fastest growing crimes in the USA.
  • Approximately 33% of all new businesses fail because of employee theft.
  • Approximately 2% of all business sales are lost because of employee theft.
  • The average organization loses more than $9 per day per employee due to fraud and other white-collar crimes, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
  • The average organization loses about 6% of its total revenue due to employee fraud and other white-collar crimes, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
  • The most costly abuses occur in organizations with less than 100 employees, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
  • Each family will pay an additional $300 per year in order to subsidize business losses due to employee theft.
  • 75% of all employees steal from their employers at least once throughout their careers. In many instances, these are petty thefts, but, in other instances, these will be hefty corporate crimes.
  • Furthermore, at least half of these 75% will steal again from a different employer.

These statistics will make your jaw drop. But is there any way to prevent white-collar crimes and fraudulent behavior in the workforce?

Fighting Back Against White-Collar Crimes

One of the ways in which employers are fighting back against this criminal pandemic is by installing internal surveillance to monitor all employees. This can be an excellent way to cut down on employee theft and other white-collar crimes. Some larger corporations also have an internal security department that focuses only on employee surveillance. This may seem a little drastic but, when it comes to white-collar crimes, you can never be too careful.

Another way to reduce employee-related crimes is by doing an employee background check on all employees. Employment background checks services will range in specificity but can include the following:

  • Credit reports – allow you to see a potential employee’s credit history.
  • Social security verifications – allow you to see past employment history and to ensure that your employee is who he says he is.
  • Criminal background checks – allow you to see a potential employee’s criminal record. Criminal background checks include convictions and arrests for anything from DWI offences to drug crimes, and everything in between.
  • Driving Records – allow you to access a potential employee’s past driving record, which is always a smart move if your employee will have access to a company vehicle or if the position involves driving in any way.

Employment Background Screening

The reason why employment background checks are becoming more and more popular for business owners is because they provide a way to eliminate the risk of white-collar criminal activity before it happens. Employee background checks can be accessed through the Internet and performed in less than one minute. They can provide all business owners with an extra level of assurance that their employee does not come with a long line of previous white-collar criminal activities or fraudulent behavior.

In addition to employee background screening services, it is important that you always perform a stringent interview during the hiring process. This will help you assess the character of your potential employee and determine if he or she is a good fit with your company.

White-collar crimes may be on the rise but that does not mean that business owners should simply sit back and allow their companies to be corrupted. Employment background services provide you with a method of stopping insider corporate crimes before they happen. And this is the best protection of all.

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Top Five Reasons to Perform an Employee Background Check

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Both small business owners and large corporation CEO’s have discovered the secret to success when it comes to hiring the right staff – employee background checks. Although an employee background check will not be able to ensure that your potential employee is the perfect match for your company, it can delve into the private life of your employee and reveal many things that you need to know.

Employee background check services are used to record the employment history of a person. Combined with additional government background checks, such as criminal record checks, credit reports and social security verification checks, you are reducing the risk of hiring the wrong person for the position and ensuring that your employee has the reputation and the experience he claims to have.  These services can reveal credit information and past criminal convictions so you are aware if your potential employee has been convicted of employee theft in the past or you know if your employee has a tendency to miss credit payments. These revelations are best uncovered before you add someone to your payroll. After all, no one wants to discover that his perfect new employee has a history of white-collar criminal behavior after he has left him in charge of the company’s financial reports.

So what are some of the reasons why smart business owners are using background services to check up on their potential employees? We’ve asked; they’ve answered with these five top responses:

  1. I Am Avoiding that Level of Risk that Comes with Just ‘Going with my Gut’

    Hiring any employee can be a huge risk to your company, especially if they turn out to be a criminal or to specialize in white-collar crimes. An employee background check cannot tell you if an employee will steal in the future but it can tell you about his/her past which will help you make a more informed and less risky decision. It is important to always follow your ‘gut’ instincts when it comes to hiring your employees but sometimes even your instincts can lead you astray.

  2. I Know, Without a Doubt, that my Employee is Qualified

    Many people will ‘beef up’ their resumes in order to get the job. Some will even lie about positions they have held in the past, schooling they have received and skills they have mastered. One way to separate fact from fiction is to hire them and see if they can perform up to their resumes. However, in many cases, you find out too late that they were lying about their skills and experience and you are stuck with under qualified employees. Employee background checks reduce this risk by letting you know the truth about past employment history. You can be confident knowing that your employees do, in fact, have years of experience working in a financial institution, like they said, rather than years of experience in fast food.

  3. I Can Get the Answers I Want… Now.

    The hiring process is tiring enough. By outsourcing to an employment background service you are reducing the time spent investigating the candidates. Employment screens take less than one minute to complete and can be accessed through the net 24/7. In the past it could take up to 4 months to get these results. You can leverage your time and make your hiring decision by the end of the work day.

  4. I Can Get to Know my Employee (without wasting time)

    The past can tell us a lot about what we need to know. When you simply do not have the time to hear one’s life story, an employee background check will fill in the blanks and let you know who you are hiring. It’s always a good idea to know your employee on and off paper. You can discover facts about credit, past jobs and criminal convictions without interrogating your employee and wasting your time. Often the truth about poor credit, past criminal convictions and other skeletons will come out… after a few months and a few cocktails, but, by then, it might be too late.

  5. I Can Reduce Employee Turnover

    There is nothing more frustrating than hiring someone only to discover he is not right for the job two months down the road. You have to go through the entire advertising, interviewing and decision-making process all over again which not only takes up your precious time, but also reduces productivity. Background checks allow you to be more confident in your choice of employees so the turnover rate is reduced.

An employee background check cannot guarantee that your employee won’t be an annoying brown noser, a water-cooler gossiper or a controversial snob – this is where the interview process comes in. However, what an employment background service can do is provide you with the assurance that your employee is exactly who he says he is. In the world of business, there are already enough surprises around every corner without having to worry about the actions of your employees. With employment background checks, you are eliminating the element of surprise and ensuring you are making the right hiring decision.


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