AccountingWEB Find: Employment Screening Resource

Employment Screening Resource, is like having your own in-house screening specialists. ESR specializes in background screenings and is a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) and Human Resources consulting firm providing pre-employment screening reports to Employers, Human Resources and Security departments.

ESR combines human resources, public records and legal expertise in providing your company with fast, accurate and cost-effective employment pre-screening.

Employers have become painfully aware of the tremendous consequences of bad hiring decisions. Pre-screening promotes a safe and profitable workplace. Pre-employment screening is an effective risk management tool that has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of a bad hire. Employers typically engage in pre-employment screening for four reasons:

1. To discourage applicants with something to hide--just having a pre-screening program discourages job applicants with a criminal background or falsified credentials.
   
2. To eliminate uncertainty in the hiring process--many employers have discovered the hard way that relying on instinct alone is not enough. Hard information is also an important part of the hiring process.
   
3. To demonstrate Due Diligence--all employers have a reasonable duty of care in the hiring process. That means an employer must take reasonable steps to determine whether an employee is fit for a particular job. For example, an employer who hires a bus driver and does not take reasonable efforts to determine if the bus driver has a criminal record, could be found liable if that driver assaults a passenger, and a reasonable background check would have discovered the prior assaults.
   
4. To encourage honesty in the application and interview process--Employers find that just having a background program will encourage applicants to be more forthcoming about their history.

Performing background screenings is certainly not a guarantee that every bad applicant will be discovered. For the prices charged by pre-screening firms, employers cannot expect an in-depth and exhaustive FBI type investigation. However, just engaging in screening program demonstrates due diligence and provides an employer with a great deal of legal protection.

It is also important to understand that a pre-screening program is aimed at how a person has performed in the public aspect of their lives. Items such as a criminal records or previous job performance reflects how a person behaved towards others, or discharged their obligations or responsibilities. Screening is NOT an invasion of privacy, a sign of mistrust or an act of "Big Brother."

For more information, visit http://www.esrcheck.com/faqs/index.php [1] today.

Note: AccountingWEB does not endorse this company, this is only a reference and a resource to explore.