Current employers are required to place more trust in their workers than ever before. Here are some observations that support that claim:
- More and more working environments are partially or fully remote.
- Employees are expecting increasingly more autonomy in their positions.
- Streamlined workflows and improving AI mean each individual within an organization has more prominent fingerprints on their organization’s output. Account managers can service more clients; fulfillment specialists can process more of a product or more efficiently provide a service, etc.
Moreover, the post-COVID-19 employee seems to have slightly more power in the hiring market than the organizations they are employed by. There always seems to be an organization that can offer better pay, benefits, or workplace/scheduling accommodations.
The options for employees are many.
This reality may cause many employers to enter “take what we can get” mode. However, given the price of turnover and the potential risk of a bad hire, it may be wiser to invest slightly more time, effort, and funds into filling open seats with dependable, loyal employees.
This is where diligent employment screening can provide tremendous value.
We’ve made a list of reasons why it’s more important than ever to leverage background screening to help build a dependable, lasting workforce.
Double Dipping
As already mentioned in a recent publication:
Up to 37 percent of remote workers have a second full-time job, and up to 32 percent have a side hustle.
Some employers have policies against dual employment. Depending on the organization and industry, it can take a toll on productivity. But how can these issues be addressed?
Employment monitoring is one solution that helps employers reduce double dipping and discourage current employees from breaking active dual employment policies.
Quiet Quitting Trends
As mentioned in an earlier article, polls suggest that “quiet quitters” make up about 50 percent of the current workforce.
Quiet quitting refers to doing the absolute minimum required to keep a position for as long as possible. Frequently, quiet quitters constantly pursue better opportunities with no intent to go above and beyond for their current organization.
Proper pre-employment screening, particularly employment history and social media investigations, can help employers identify less-than-motivated candidates. It is often the case that quiet quitters have a history of poor performance. Such characteristics and behavior patterns can be revealed in a well-conducted pre-hire investigation.
Increasing Substance Use
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), nearly 9 percent of working adults have a substance abuse disorder. This number seems to be slowly increasing. All the while marijuana laws are becoming looser, and state governments are adopting leniency when it comes to some federally-banned substances.
Additionally, 70 percent of illicit drug users in America currently have a job; an estimated 80 percent of these substance abusers will steal from their employers to support their habits. Read more.
A well-documented drug-free workplace policy and an associated drug screening program can help mitigate many of these issues.
Pre-employment, random, and reasonable suspicion drug tests can all help reduce substance-related risk in the workplace.
Learn more about establishing a drug testing program here.
Workplace Fraud Concerns
Employee theft costs employers about $50 billion each year.
Theft is often a behavioral pattern. Even when offenders are caught and disciplined for their actions, they remain more likely than the average person to repeat the behavior.
For this reason, financial screening and a comprehensive criminal background check can help employers reduce the risk of workplace fraud, particularly in positions with access to funds and company accounts.
High Turnover
Turnover is becoming a big issue for employers across the country.
Statistics show that around two-thirds of employees quickly find a job to be a bad fit after accepting the position.
Pre-employment screening solutions can provide hiring managers with tools to ensure the right seats on the bus are occupied by the right people and that both parties have proper expectations before the start date.
Learn more about how employment screening can help reduce turnover here.
Conclusion
Background screening is a tool– a highly beneficial tool.
It’s no longer simply a thing that needs to be done to maintain a particular image or check an administrative box. Background screening can help employers hire smarter, reduce turnover, improve productivity, and mitigate risk.
It’s never a bad idea to revisit your current solution and see if adjustments/improvements can be made.
For more information about Peopletrail’s screening services, visit us online.
