Criminal Background Check
One of the first (arguably most important) aspects of employee screening is determining if they have any criminal history, what, if anything, they were charged with and whether or not they were convicted. Minor offenses may not be a deal breaker for you, but without accurate information provided in a background check it ‘s hard to determine if hiring the candidate would be a mistake. It is also a good idea to check potential hires against the sex offender and violent offender registries because some criminal background checks don’t include this information. Once you have the information on your applicant, you can discuss any questions you may have from their past behaviors and provide them the opportunity to provide their side of the story.
Drug Screening
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), in 2012, there were 2.1 million people in the United States abusing opioids or suffering from substance use disorders, and those numbers are on the rise. Some might say that what an employee does on their own time is their business, but in the case of drug use, it is your business as well and is an integral part of employee screening. Hiring a drug user or addict may expose you and your family to harm or could even make you expose you to criminal prosecution depending on their activities while at your home. It is necessary to have them tested for a variety of drugs and to know what drugs are included in the drug tests being used so that you can make sure it covers everything
Driving Record
If any of the household staff you are considering hiring will be driving as a part of their duties, then obtaining a copy of their driving record should be regarded as a critical part of your employee screening process. There is a lot you can tell about a person by how they approach the responsibility of operating a motor vehicle, and you want them to demonstrate a level of care as well as consideration in how they behave on the road. This is particularly the case if this person will be driving you or your children while they are in your employ.
References
While references are a standard part of most hiring processes, you should follow up with the people your potential hire has provided you as either character witnesses or previous employers. The information you obtain by contacting a person’s references can be combined with the other information gathered during employee screening to provide a complete picture of the person you are considering. Knowing a little bit about each reference and their relationship to the applicant helps to ensure that you can extract the type of information you need from each reference.
If you are considering hiring household staff, but the thought of employee screening seems overwhelming, contact us today so we can discuss your needs. We provide screening for all of our staff placements so you can rest assured that you are getting an employee of the highest quality and character.
