Monthly Archives: June 2007

Preventing workplace violence with background checks

In 1995, the Workplace Violence Research Institute found that: "Every workday, an estimated 16,400 threats are made, 723 workers are attacked, and 43,800 are harassed." That's a lot of violence. Most of it isn't dramatic cable-news-coverage stuff, but none of it makes for a better workplace. When violence is part of the working environment, productivity and morale both drop. Your first line of defense is to hire smart, do your criminal checks, check references, and use other employment screening tools. Watch for things in a person's past that might indicate trouble ahead. This can also help prevent a negligent hiring [...]

By |June 29th, 2007|Categories: Criminal checks, Employment screening, Legal|2 Comments

Preventing employee theft

The Arizona Republic has a great article titled Facing the issue of employee theft. The paper zeros in on the need for small businesses to be aware that it's not just the Wal-Marts of the world who suffer from fraud losses. Here's a quote: The 2006 report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners showed that businesses with fewer than 100 employees suffered a median of $190,000 in fraud losses. Without safeguards, any business is susceptible to fraud, especially common forms like check tampering, fraudulent billing and stealing money before it's recorded. Look at that figure. For Wal-Mart, $190,000 is [...]

By |June 28th, 2007|Categories: Employment screening|0 Comments

Keeping up with immigration reform

You would think that as a self-proclaimed "Nation of Immigrants" we would have figured out an immigration policy by now. That's not the case. In the last few weeks, immigration bills dripping with amendments have seemed certain of passage. Then they were "killed." Then, like creatures in those old horror movies, they've come back. If you're puzzled about what's going on, join the club. Unless you're really passionate about this issue yourself, the odds are good that you only see news stories on this every few days. If you want a quick overview of where we are now, check out [...]

By |June 25th, 2007|Categories: Employment screening, Legal|0 Comments

House moves on instant gun background check legislation

Last week the House passed legislation designed to shore up the gaps in the instant background check system that allowed Seung-Hui Cho to purchase the guns he used to kill 32 people at Virginia Tech. From the Associated Press: The measure would require states to automate their lists of convicted criminals and the mentally ill who are prohibited under a 1968 law from buying firearms, and report those lists to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. The most important fact about this action is that the measure had the support of the National Rifle Association. That [...]

By |June 21st, 2007|Categories: Law enforcement|0 Comments

Trust, but verify

President Ronald Reagan described his policy on dealing with the Soviet Union on arms treaties this way: "Trust, but verify." That's not a bad position to take when you're considering hiring someone to provide elder care for your parents. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the largest senior advocacy organization in the United States, has gone on record supporting a bill sponsored by Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) that would establish a national criminal background check system for employees whose jobs involve one-on-one contact with patients in long-term care. Normally, I get my back up a [...]

By |June 19th, 2007|Categories: Criminal checks|0 Comments

The inside threat

American Surveyor just published an article titled Surveying Equipment Theft. The author, Bryan Baker, discusses theft by outsiders, but he points out that: "It is a sad fact that some equipment is stolen by company employees." That's not just true for surveyors. It's true for you, too. Here are four reasons why untrustworthy employees are especially potent theft risks. They have access. If you've got an office, they're already inside. If you've got a job site, they're already there. They don't have to break in or sneak through a gap in the fence. They're familiar. If a stranger wanders into [...]

By |June 14th, 2007|Categories: Employment screening|1 Comment
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