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4 Reasons Your Cleaning Company Needs to Do Background Checks
Chances are your cleaning company employees work in buildingsafter hours and have access to areas that may hold confidentialinformation or valuables. How can you be sure the employees youhire can be trusted when working unsupervised? Paying closeattention during the interview will help, but another tool youcan use is the employee background check.
More companies than ever are doing background checks on newemployees. There are several reasons for this:
1. According to the Society of Human Resource Management inAlexandria, Virginia, 37% of all applicants put some falseinformation on applications and resumes and 65% of resumes areenhanced or exaggerated.
2. Lawsuits for "negligent hiring" are on the rise. If one ofyour employees hurts someone you can be held liable.
3. Current events, such as high profile child abuse andabduction cases, the terrorist attacks of 9-11, and the scandalsof executives have created concerns when recruiting and hiringnew employees.
4. Federal and state laws require background checks of peopleworking in certain situations, including working with children,the elderly and disabled individuals. Plus some cleaningcontracts will require you to perform background checks on youremployees if you want to gain the contract.
The types of background checks performed can vary, but theytypically 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 jobapplication will also help in pointing out gaps in employmentand other questionable details. Make sure your application formrequires the following
information: the applicant's full legalname, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), dates andplaces of previous employment, and any training or educationalcertificates received. It is also important to verify theperson's identification. Make a copy of the person's driver'slicense and social security card to keep on file.
Background checks can be a complicated practice as differentstates allow you to collect different types of information. Youare required to get written consent from the employee beforeperforming background checks. Remember to treat all potentialemployees in the same manner by requiring a standard backgroundcheck. If you run a random criminal background check on only oneor selected employees, you may have created the basis for adiscrimination suit against your company.
If you are uncertain about what you can legally do whenresearching an employee's background, consider hiring a firmthat specializes in performing background checks. The price forhiring a firm varies depending on the services and how extensiveof a background check they perform.
You as an employer can be held liable for accidents and crimescommitted by your employees. Doing background checks can provideyou with peace of mind as well as a valuable marketing tool.Letting your customers and potential customers know you performbackground checks can be that extra hook that lands the account.
About the author:
Steve Hanson is co-founding member of The Janitorial Store (TM),an online community for owners and managers of cleaningcompanies who want to build a more profitable and successfulcleaning business. Sign up for Trash Talk: Tip of the Week athttp://www.TheJanitorialStore.com and receive a Free Gift! Readcleaning success stories from owners of cleaning companies athttp://www.cleaning-success.com/.
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