What is Pre-Employment Background Screening Anyway?

Pre-employment screening refers to the process of investigating the backgrounds of potential employees and is commonly used to verify the accuracy of an applicant's claims as well as to discover any possible criminal history, worker’s compensation claims, or employer sanctions. Many employers conduct pre-employment screenings of job applicants. Employers often outsource all or part of these evaluations to private third-party organizations that specialize in background screening.

Why should I run background checks?

Mainly you should run background checks to help keep your clients, your employees, and your business safe. Protection of your employees is imperative in any business. While we all wish, we could trust everyone, background checks are a critical way to protect the many aspects of your business. You need to minimize the risk to operate successfully.

Do I need to get permission?

Yes, you do. If you want to order and review any kind of background check to determine somebody's eligibility for employment, you need to get their permission. Two forms specifically must be completed by the applicant, the authorization, and the disclosure. You can read more about this in the FCRA compliance article.

For more information on background screening contact Third Vision Background Searches at 815-669-0556 for a free consultation or visit www.thirdvisionbackgrounds.com.

We Have BIG News

We’re Starting the New Year Off with A Bang!

We have great news! Third Vision Background Searches & Consulting has implemented a brand-new system to make your background screening process faster and more effective allowing you to choose the best possible candidates. Now applicants can go in directly to our site to enter their information. Our new Applicant Tracking System or (ATS) allows you to go paperless in your background screening process. All information is strictly confidential and FCRA compliant and as always you will still experience the same friendly customer service you are used to. Either email or call us when you are ready to begin the process. All we will need is your company information and the applicants name and email address. A link will be sent directly to the potential hire where they can fill out their information and e-sign all release forms. It’s that simple!

With still no contacts or minimums we are proud to share this new user experience with you and are confident you will find our newly integrated process a breeze to work with.

Respectfully,

Christine Mahoney

Christine Mahoney

Third Vision Background Searches & Consulting

Education Verification & Background Screening

Since many employers require job-related degrees or majors, many candidates may stretch their educational history in the hopes that potential employers won’t check for discrepancies. A background screening provider can help you get to know your candidate by verifying the school, professional program and degree achieved that they listed on their application. With consent potential employers can validate the following items with an education verification:

·         Candidates’ degree/diploma/credential

·         Graduation or completion date

·         Major of degree

·         Official educational accrediting body

What is the Real Cost of Employee Turnover?

What is the Real Cost of Employee Turnover?

While cost is an important factor to consider when deciding which background checks to conduct, the price may be much higher without them. Background checks create a safer workplace, assist in hiring the most qualified candidates, reduce employee theft and mitigate the risks associated with negligent hiring.

In an article by Josh Bersin he outlined factors a business should consider in calculating the "real" cost of losing an employee. These factors include:

• ·         The cost of hiring a new employee including the advertising, interviewing, screening, and hiring.
• ·         Cost of on-boarding a new person including training and management time.
• ·         Lost productivity... it may take a new employee 1-2 years to reach the productivity of an existing person.
• ·         Lost engagement... other employees who see high turnover tend to disengage and lose productivity.
• ·         Training cost. For example, over 2-3 years a business likely invests 10-20% of an employee's salary or more in training 

What’s that cost?

Some studies (such as SHMR) predict that every time a business replaces a salaried employee, it costs 6 to 9 months’ salary on average. For a manager making $40,000 a year, that's $20,000 to $30,000 in recruiting and training expenses

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But others predict the cost is even more - that losing a salaried employee can cost as much as 2x their annual salary, especially for a high-earner or executive level employee.

Turnover seems to vary by wage and role of employee. For example, a CAP study found average costs to replace an employee are:

• ·         16% of annual salary for high-turnover, low-paying jobs (earning under $30,000 a year). For example, the cost to replace a $10/hour retail employee would be $3,328.
• ·         20% of annual salary for mid-range positions (earning $30,000 to $50,000 a year). For example, the cost to replace a $40k manager would be $8,000.
• ·         Up to 213% of annual salary for highly educated executive positions. For example, the cost to replace a $100k CEO is $213,000.

The bottom line is although there are costs associated with conducting professional employee background search the benefits outweigh the cost of employee turnover.

Why Do Employeers Really Drug Screen

Why do employers drug test?  Safety is often the main reason for employee drug testing. Organizations that require employees to operate machinery, drive, work with consumers or do manual labor often require drug testing for the safety of everyone involved. Pre-employment and random drug testing is administered to protect employees, as well as the general public to ensure consumers are confident that employees are working.

There are five primary types of drug tests: urine, blood, hair, saliva, and sweat. Most common is the urine test which has the benefit of being inexpensive and less intrusive than the blood test.

Employers do have a right to do randomized drug testing on a regularly scheduled basis (or under the premise of reasonable suspicion). Employers may also request a drug screen within a short window so the applicant is unprepared to cheat the test. 

Success In Business By Using Background Screening

Why do background checks? Pre-employment background checks help an organization be more successful. That means greater profits.

·         Reduce the high cost of turnover by screening in employees who stay longer.

·         Reduce losses from employee theft, employee fraud, drug and alcohol abuse, absenteeism, workplace violence, and litigation.

·         Avoid wasted benefits.

·         Reduce training and employee development costs.

·         Increase productivity through hiring employees with better work habits, attitudes, policies, and practices.

The Cost of Workplace Violence

The Cost of Workplace Violence

A survey conducted by the US Dept of Justice, 1.75 million days of work are lost each year by victims of workplace violence. The cost in lost wages account for about $55 million per year. With costs considered, such as lost productivity, legal expenses, and damaged reputation, the annual cost of workplace violence could measure in the billions.

How Do Background Checks Help?

Prior history is a good predictor of future performance. Background checks are used by employers to identify applicants prone to unacceptable workplace behavior. Background checks such as Criminal Record Checks, Civil Searches Prior Employment and Education Verification are examples of some searches that can help you make a safe decision.

For more information about background screening visit our website at 

http://www.thirdvisionbackgrounds.com