The Risks of Hiring People without Pre-Employment Screening

     Anyone can make an eye-catching resume by putting some lie or embellishment to intrigue HR. The fraudulent candidate will add false education credentials, outstanding achievements and qualifications, conceal criminal records, etc.

     Even though we always try to trust candidates, there are still underlying concerns about the information they give. Indeed, you do not want to welcome bad hires that could harm your business.

     To prevent the risk of hiring the wrong persons, you can conduct a pre-employment screening or employment background check on your candidates before hiring them. This may help you uncover the candidates' past problems or red flags that potentially put your company at risk.

          You will possibly face these three risks if you do not include pre-employment screening in your hiring process.

1. Hire wrong persons

     According to the 2020 Global Benchmark Report, some discrepancies were often found on several aspects: previous employment, education credential, criminal records, professional licenses, credit default, etc.

     In the Asia Pacific region, 79% of employers found a discrepancy in their candidates’ previous employment records. Coming in the second place is the education credentials discrepancies  (62%).

     Candidates mostly embellish their resumes to escalate the chance of getting hired. However, discrepancies or misrepresentations found on their resume can affect your business performance.

     You might find yourself hiring someone who is not qualified or do not have the required skills. Thus, it is better to verify every credential listed on candidates’ resumes.

2. Overlooking potential occupational fraud and workplace safety

     Based on the 2020 Global Study on Occupational Fraud and Abuse conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, it is estimated that global occupational fraud causing more than USD 3.6 billion business loses. 

     The study also reveales that most fraud cases were done by the staffs (41%), the manager (35%), and the owner/executive (20%). The fraudsters mostly came from the operation, accounting, sales division, or upper management. 

     The study therefore highlights that people who have access to financial, property, or data would likely commit fraudulent activity. In this case, pre-employment screening can help to unveil candidates’ risky tendencies or habits.

3. Unsafe working environment

     According to a survey conducted by SHRM in 2019, 48% of employees said that  there were workplace violence incident at their workplace, such as physical violence, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, intimidation, etc. 

     Hiring a person with a violent or misconduct history may negatively affect the working environment. When you do not conduct a pre-employment screening, you might be letting someone with risky behaviour works at your company.

     Doing a pre-employment screening will help employers to ensure candidates’ eligibilities for the positions. It can also prevent hiring candidates with violent behaviours that harm your business and working environment.