 |
|
More hires put under the scope By MaryBeth Matzek Just who are you hiring? In post-9-11 America, that’s a question many employers are looking to find out. Now, more than ever, companies are using background checks to investigate prospective workers. Requests for background checks at Pre-employ.com Inc. have risen 40 percent, said Robert Mather, president of the company that specializes in reviewing a job applicant’s past. “Employers are most concerned about theft, violence, harassment, lawsuits and most importantly preventing any horrible acts by would-be criminals,” he said. Reviewing an applicant’s past is becoming more important, said Todd Gray, assistant superintendent for business services for the Appleton Area School District. “I definitely see that as a trend. People are just more concerned about who they’re hiring.” The school district runs background checks on all employees, volunteers and employees who work for contractors used by the district. Appleton officials know firsthand the checks’ importance, Gray said. In May, a contract janitor for the district was convicted of exposing himself to two girls at a local school. The district canceled its contract with the cleaning company after discovering that it did not do a complete background check on the man, who had an extensive criminal history. “Everyone in the district that has any contact with children must go through the check,” Gray said. Although checking out an applicant’s past is becoming more popular, it still isn’t mandatory for many professions. But, some fields — mostly those that deal with children and health care — do require checks before an employee can start. After last year’s attacks, the Food and Drug Administration recommended restaurant and grocery store employees be screened for any previous criminal activity. That trend, however, has proven slow to catch on. Affinity Health System does background checks on all of its employees, said human resources manager Sue Edminster. “We want to have as much knowledge of a candidate’s background as possible to insure we are providing a safe environment for our patients,” she said. Affinity — like many employers — goes online to check a prospective worker’s past. Using a secure server and password, human resource personnel can check with the Wisconsin Department of Justice any past criminal convictions in an applicant’s background. The checks can usually be done instantly by entering the person’s Social Security number, date of birth and race. If the person has a common name like Smith, it may take longer, but all checks are completed within 24 hours. For applicants who come from out of state, certain employers are required to make a good faith attempt to do a background check in that person’s previous state of residence. The Appleton district also sends fingerprints of teacher applicants from out of state to the FBI to be checked, Gray said. In addition to the standard background check, Affinity has all workers and job applicants fill out a background information disclosure (BID) statement asking them about any past convictions. “We do checks on all employees, including our volunteers and students in our clinics,” Edminster said. These checks are done every four years. If the person must drive in their job, a check of driving record is done, she said. Ten offenses, including homicide; felony battery; sexual assaults; physical abuse of a child or vulnerable adults and abuse or neglect of patients, would bar an applicant from employment at Affinity. If someone has a mark on their criminal record, they still often apply, Edminster said. “We tell them in the hiring process that a background check will be done and that doesn’t scare them off,” she said. If there is a conviction on an applicant’s record, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are out of a job. For example, a person who was convicted 20 years ago of obstructing an officer while in college shouldn’t worry, Edminster said. “It depends on what (the conviction) is,” she said. “We look to see if it’s related to the job.” The same holds true for the Appleton schools, Gray said. “We look at it case by case. We look at where they’re working and what they’re doing before deciding,” he said. While some prospective employees are trying to hide their records, others are overly self-conscious, Edminster said. “I’ve had some applicants report speeding tickets,” she said. “While we thank them for being honest, it’s usually not relevant to their hiring.” Running a background check is a good preventative measure for many employers, Mather said. “Background checks enable employers to make educated decisions about the safety of their employees, the public and assets,” he said. “Employers aren’t as naive as they were 9-11. They are looking at the workplace in a different light.”
|
News Release |
|
|
