In Support of Background Checks – Yes
Checking into the background of an employee has become a must for a business. There is simply too much at stake for the average business owner hiring a new employee. The larger the company, the more is at stake for the business.
Generally, employment is day by day. Even though a person might work years for the same company, it is a lot like the man who hired employees all day long in the Bible. This employer kept going out and adding people to work in his field. Then he paid everyone the same, resulting in grumbling from those who worked all day long. This was because they thought they should receive more than there agreement. Every day a job is done, and the company pays for it. At the end of the day, all is even. An employer does not have to employ an employee longer that one day, or even one hour. Many employees, however, grow to see their employment as an entitlement.
If the employer discharges the employee, he can be sued if the cause was not legally correct. Even if he isn't sued, the employee is responsible for some of the costs if that former employee puts in for unemployment. There is also quite a bit of paperwork to fill out. The employer needs to look for another person and then train them in the job. There is no guarantee the new person will work out any better. The employee also has to deal with the staff that is still left. No one takes a discharge of a fellow employee well. It forces each employee to look at their situation and wonder where would they be if the same thing happened to them. Sometimes employees will change jobs because they are now feeling insecure.
Then there are the abnormal situations, where the person who was terminated has some mental issues. It is hard to be discharged from a job, and sometimes people become so angry and scared about finding something else, they become violent. There have been many well known cases where people have been killed and injured by a former employee who was angry. Worse, these days an employer must also worry about an unbalanced former employee following them home and hurting their family. It takes a lot of strength to be an employer these days.
The relationship between the employee and the employer is going to end. It may end when the employee leaves on his own, or it may end when the employee is let go. Some few employees actually make it to retirement and receive a pension when they leave their position on their own. This is why the employer needs to make the best choice possible when he or she hires someone. This is not only a big investment by the employer, but the other employees have an interest as well.
One way to weed out candidates that will not be successful and even dangerous is to do a thorough background check. Most applications these days explain that these checks will be made, and if you want the job, you need to agree. Many also include drug checks as well. Does anyone want to work with someone who has been unstable or committed crimes relating to the position the candidate is apply for? No, they don't. A lack of a background check is how convicted child sexual offenders wind up continuing to work with children.
A background check can protect both the employer and other employees and is a reasoned action by an employer. It may not be fair in some people's eyes, but it has become necessary for protection in today's world. An employer simply cannot depend on the applicant being truthful during the interview process. Jobs have become too scarce.
