If you were to answer honestly, how many times have you performed a background check on any new staff that you have brought in to the business? In most cases business owners will say that they performed a quick check or in fact that they didn’t check at all. Sometimes you may get away with doing this of course but there are a great many risks attached to it. One of the most important checks which you need to carry out is a criminal background check. There is little excuse for not carrying out this kind of check because you can even find services which offer free criminal background checks. If you don’t think that this is overly important, check out some potential consequences and then ask yourself if it is important or not.
Violence in the Workplace
A business owner is of course responsible for the safety of their staff and that could be called into question if you were to hire someone who has a history of violence and has been charged by police for it. One of the most common offenses that is repeated is that of violence and that is exactly why it is so important that you are performing the right level of due diligence on anyone who comes into the business. If you hire someone with a history of criminal violence and don’t do a background check, should they attack a colleague you will share the blame for their injuries.
Jail Time
This is a very extreme example but it is something that has happened in the past. You hire someone for a driving position without performing a criminal background check. What you haven’t discovered because of the lack of a background check is that this person has a long history of driving convictions. This person may still be allowed a license but information such as their history will of course change your decision as to whether you want to hire them as a driver. Now let’s say that this person drives recklessly in a company vehicle and knocks over and kills a pedestrian. The driver will of course be charged by the police but you can also be charged with corporate manslaughter, a charge which carries with it the chance of prison time.
Theft
If someone were to ask you whether you would hire someone with a history of theft you would more than likely say no. However failing to perform a criminal background check could easily see you hiring a person with a history of theft. If you aren’t aware of this then you will think nothing about giving this person responsibilities within the business, which could in fact provide them with the perfect opportunity to steal from you. If you are aware that someone has a history of theft then you may hire them but you would always be vigilant, if you aren’t even aware then you are opening yourself up to a great risk.
Don’t risk yourself or the business, perform a criminal background check and find out exactly what kind of person you are hiring.
