Reasons Your Residential Cleaning Company Needs to Conduct Background Checks
Whether using single cleaners or teams of cleaners, at some point they will be working by themselves, in different areas of the home, and may have access to confidential information or valuables. So as a business owner, you want to do whatever you can to make sure the people you are placing in your client's home are trustworthy and reliable, right? But how can you be sure the employees you hire can be trusted when working unsupervised?
You can never be 100 percent, but by paying close attention during the interview process and conducting employee background checks can definitely help. Today's pool of possible hires has become increasing small due to business competition and business owners, in a rush to hire, may forgo background checks and overlook the tell-tale signs that the person they are hiring is not the person they are claiming to be on their resume.
Why are background checks on cleaning employees important?
According to a survey completed by CareerBuilder.com, more than half of employers have caught a lie on a resume. When asked to name the most common areas around which job seekers lie, these employers named the following:
- Embellished skill sets: 62 percent
- Embellished responsibilities: 54 percent
- Dates of employment: 39 percent
- Job titles: 31 percent
- Academic degrees: 28 percent
Kevin Connell, CEO and Founder of AccuScreen, the industry leader in employee screening and background checks, says “Most of the applicants are rolling the dice, their hoping you are not checking on their references, you're not going to do any form of background check, and in a lot of cases, they are right.”
Kevin Connell is a former Director of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. He is also a renowned speaker, and has been featured on ABC News, and has been interviewed on more than 60 live talk radio programs. He also did an interview for members of MyHouseCleaningBiz.com to listen via the members only download library: AccuScreen Interview
Besides embellishing or flat out lying on a resume, here are other important reasons to conduct background checks:
- Lawsuits for "negligent hiring" are on the rise. This can occur when the employer hires an employee who harms or injures a co-worker, client, or other individual who comes in contact with the employee through work. If you fail to conduct or even ignore a background check on an employee with a criminal history, you can be held negligent if they are charged with theft, sexual abuse, etc.
- Current events, such as high profile child abuse, rape, and abduction cases, terrorist attacks and violence, and embezzlement/scandals of employees have created concerns when recruiting and hiring new employees.
- Federal and state laws require background checks of people working in certain situations, including working with children, the elderly and disabled individuals. Plus some prospects will require you to perform background checks on your employees if you want to gain the contract.
The types of background checks performed can vary, but they typically include:
- Employment verification
- Education verification
- Criminal history
- Driving and motor vehicle records
- Credit history
- Military background
- Verifying references
- Drug testing
Requiring prospective employees to complete a comprehensive job application will help in pointing out gaps in employment and other questionable details. Make sure your application form requires the following information: the applicant's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), dates and places of previous employment, and any training or educational certificates received. It is also important to verify the person's identification. Make a copy of the person's driver's license and social security card to keep on file.
Background checks can be a complicated practice as different states allow for the collection of different types of information
You are required to get written consent from the employee before performing the employee background check. Remember to treat all potential employees in the same manner by requiring a standard background check. If you run a random criminal background check on only one or selected employees, you may have created the basis for a discrimination suit against your company.
If you are uncertain about what you can legally do when researching an employee's background, consider hiring a firm that specializes in performing background checks. The price for hiring a firm varies depending on the services and how extensive of a background check they perform.
Don't take a chance on hiring an employee without conducting a thorough background check first. As an employer, you can be held liable for accidents and crimes committed by your employees. Conducting background checks can provide you with peace of mind as well as a valuable marketing tool. Letting your customers and potential customers know you perform background checks can be that value add-on that lands the account.
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Conducting background checks on employees in important. It's also important to start off on the right foot as an employer by making sure you find the best possible employee for your business and that means you need to have a hiring system in place. If you are looking for a Hiring System for your cleaning company, then this recorded webinar will help you do just that! Recorded Webinar Download: |
