Why Background Checks on Your Potential Employees Are Important

There is a saying that admonishes employers to “hire slow and fire fast.” If you are a business owner, you would definitely understand the wisdom behind this thinking. Many companies expend a lot of time and resources in recruitment, while some jobseekers unfortunately resort to unconscientious practices in order to land a job. Thus, in order to protect your business interests, part of hiring slow is conducting a background check on your potential employees.

You do not need to do this yourself as there are a lot of ways to find a skilled Private investigator in Bristol or a detective agency that can do the task for you.  These professionals are trained to collect and report information in a timely, accurate, and lawful manner. Many companies trust private investigation agencies to do background checks on job applicants and even existing employees whom they may have reasonable doubts with regarding some professional or personal aspects.

As an employer or business owner, background checks are important to protect yourself against the following situations or predicaments:

False information or misrepresentation

You cannot always trust that a jobseeker is furnishing you with accurate and correct information in their application form and resume. It is important for you to know that they are telling you the truth regarding personal data such as their real name, address, contact numbers, civil status, and the like. Obviously, if they are not forthcoming regarding such basic information, they are most likely hiding something, which may eventually drag you and your business into legal trouble.

The same is true for professional information such as previous employment, salaries, and references. Part of doing a background check on job applicants is making sure that they left their previous job in good order, without any pending obligations or outstanding offenses. This is important to make sure that you are hiring a person of good moral character and upstanding repute.

Criminal activity

A background check can reveal if a job applicant has been involved in criminal activity. If a person has been involved in any illegal acts, it is obviously detrimental to your business because the individual may continue such activities in your workplace. Common offenses to look out for are those involving money and finances, such as fraud and embezzlement, or misconduct in the office such as sexual harassment.

While an individual may have been cleared in a court of law regarding such cases, it is still good for you to know any history that may be material to any future developments. Employing a person involved in crime may also implicate you and make you responsible for their behavior and actions.

Psychological profile

Employers always look for highly productive, talented, and intelligent individuals to work for them, but they often overlook the criteria of emotional intelligence or EQ. A background check on a person can paint a profile of his behavior, personality, and the way he deals with other people. These are all vital in making sure that he is able to blend into your organization well and contribute positively to group goals.

A lot of dissatisfaction and chaos in the workplace stems from incompatibility of people working in a team, and as such, human resources professionals may benefit greatly from assessing people from a psychological point of view. A background check helps ensure that a potential new hire is not only of sound body but of sound mind as well.

Investing in background checks on potential employees

Hiring a professional private investigator to perform background checks on potential employees may seem costly, but many companies consider it an investment on talent recruitment and retention that pays off in the long run. If you end up hiring the right people for the job, turnover attrition decreases and you save a lot on rehiring or looking for replacements.