October 23, 2016 – Pleasant Hill, California. Background Profiles, an NAPBS Accredited employee screening and background check service, is proud to announce an update to its information page on employee background checks in the healthcare industry, using so-called FACIS ® search technology.
There are so many rules and regulations surrounding employment in the 21st century that it is sometimes difficult for many employers fully to understand them all. This is because the level of knowledge needed for jobs has never been this high so while employers are scrutinizing every part of what an applicant has submitted – whether that’s looking at their query letter format or previous experience – it’s only fair that the employers are held to this same level of scrutiny to ensure everyone is being treated fairly.
If you are not an HR manager engaged in hiring on a day-to-day basis, but simply run a small business with a need to hire a new employee only now and again, then it is very likely that you will not be fully conversant with every aspect of the law. It is very easy to make a mistake. For this reason, some small businesses may choose to outsource the hiring of employees or use the services of a local employee leasing company to find qualified and suitable employees for whatever position is needed.
As if employers didn’t have enough headaches to worry about, employee screening can be seen as yet another burden. Employers come to us seeking an outstanding employee screening service, and they work with us to create a better system of employee background checks before, during, and even after the hiring decision.
When the social security number system was created by Pres. Roosevelt during the Great Depression, it was not originally meant as a means for employee identification. In fact, politically, there were many promises made that it would not be used as a national identification system.
With respect to your employees, there is an unavoidable problem of trust. As Hamlet says in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain… that one may smile, and smile, and be a villain” (Hamlet Act 1, Scene 5, 105-109).
Unfortunately, we live in an era of prevalent alcohol and drug abuse problems.
Remember those tests in high school, those multiple choice tests? They were usually in the fashion of A, B, C, D, or all of the above. Well, if someone were to ask you should you screen your employees before you hire them, during their employment, or even perhaps after they are dismissed, or transferred to another department internally, the answer would be at least A and B if not “all of the above.” Certainly, when you are dismissing a person, or they are moving on to another employer, it is probably not necessary to run a background check on the employee.
Employers and hiring managers face a tougher situation than ever. First of all, after the tragic events of 9/11, both government agencies and private employers face more scrutiny and more risks vis-à-vis employee behavior. Everyone is, quite simply, more aware of security issues. Second, the United States is an increasingly litigious society, and employers face all sorts of legal liabilities both vis-à-vis their customers and even their employees. Third, employee theft remains a problem, and with the advent of cyber security and cyber crimes, one must worry about those employees with access to computer and financial records.