How well do you truly know your trusted employees? True, they may be punctual, responsible, reliable, and otherwise exemplary employees. However, consider the secrets you keep from them. They may not be dark or dangerous secrets, but you also may hide your Beanie Babies collection from all but your closest confidants.
Greg in the mailroom may have done everything right to warrant a step up your organization’s ladder. At least from nine to five. The fact is that it is tough to know what Greg does between five and nine. You likely have no idea what might have happened in Greg’s life since you ran that pre-hire background check. For that reason, it makes absolute sense to perform another background check before trusting him with greater responsibility.
When you hired Greg for the mailroom, the odds are good that you checked for different things than you would have if he had applied for accounts receivable. For that reason alone, it just makes good sense to consider a new background check. Perhaps there are simple things that you didn’t look for in your initial background check that is now more relevant to this new position.
It may seem outlandish that an employee could hide from you an arrest that occurred while under your employ. Let me assure you: It happens. Maybe they are taken in on a DWI on Friday night, are released from jail on Saturday, and show up the following Monday none the worse for wear. A sick day or a vacation day gets them through their court date. They may even spend their weekends in jail to serve their time. And you would likely be none the wiser.
What if Greg is up for a position that provides more access to your company’s funds? It would be very wise to take a good look at his credit record before giving him the combination to the safe. I certainly don’t mean to imply that you haven’t been paying him enough, but you can never tell what someone does with their paycheck. Updating Greg’s credit check would help identify certain red flags that could make you wary to turn over the company checkbook.
Perhaps Greg’s promotion will put him in contact with minors, where he was not before. Not only does a thorough background check help protect you from unwanted liability, but states are beginning to require childcare providers to perform background checks on a regular basis.
In short, a potential promotion is a very wise time to perform a background check on your tenured employees. If you need a hand, please take a look at the background check services that CNet Technologies can provide for you and your organization.
