Workplace Violence and Background Checks

The Costs of Not Looking Back -- or "What You Don't Know Could Hurt You"

We all end up paying for it. Too many employees suffer as a result of it. More insurance firms are providing coverage for it. And yet too few companies are taking the necessary steps to prevent it.

What is it? -- Violence in the workplace.

The grim facts are that more than 16,000 threats are made on the job every single workday in the U.S. Each day more than 730 workers are attacked and nearly 44,000 are harassed according to the Workplace Violence Research Institute, summarized last year by CFO Magazine. But even worse -- more than 1,000 workplace homicides are committed each year in this country.

Preventable? For the most part -- yes. Although as we continue to learn, prevention has to begin long before the incidents that can so quickly turn deadly. But before you start considering insurance policies to address the problems -- well thought-out human resource policies should be developed to head off the issues that lead to these costly events in the first place. As it is, U.S. businesses today face the awesome burden of some $36 billion a year for the combined costs of dealing with workplace violence. An absurd cost beyond the costs of human lives.

Just as effective hiring procedures can identify skilled, high-performing employees to positively impact a company's profits, these same processes can help identify potentially high-risk situations early that could end up costing money later. That is, if they include complete background checks.

Appropriate background investigations should be a seamless part of all employment processes. The need for them has been brought home numerous times in the past year in media reports of discovered corporate fraud, false social security cards and less than truthful educational credentials. Not as often heard about are the undivulged false identities, violent past work histories, criminal and motor vehicle convictions and other behaviors that if they had been known would have been immediate red flags about potential future liabilities.

Effective checks can greatly reduce negligent hiring charges, add to workforce stability and security, and eliminate many disruptions that hinder efficiently running a business and people performing at their highest level. Today, many businesses that realize these benefits allow only vendors whose employees themselves have been previously screened to enter their premises to deliver services. And so, beyond increasing one's own security, companies may find background checks a condition for doing business with others.

In addition to making good hiring decisions ongoing employee training to teach early problem detection and support for workers where counseling or direct interventions may be necessary further add to protection and prevention. Companies that provide these programs along with other effective HR practices become employers of choice for the best talent, and are less likely to be the targets of job applicants who think they can subvert the employment process, and around whom problems can develop later.

So the approach is to plan ahead and make informed employment decisions in the first place, set high expectations by training all employees on violence prevention and early problem identification, and develop effective HR policies and programs that ensure this all works together.

Background checks are a great place to start. There is no place for violence at work. Let that be the way your business operates and positive rewards will follow.

If you have questions about how background checks could be incorporated into your employment and workforce management efforts contact us at info@MeritHR.com or call 925-867-4400 / 408-501-8863. Taking the proactive stance of introducing a policy to use background checks in your business and clearly explaining the importance of this to all employees, current and future, can speak volumes about your company as a place to work.