The standard protocol for hiring, a background check, a drug screen, and a reference check, will not necessarily work for your youngest hires. Employers often know the rules and regulations before they hire a minor, but the screening procedure becomes more difficult because of the court procedures surrounding records for minors and drug testing permissions required.
How can employers hire well, keeping their customers, their businesses, and their new employees productive? The key to this is relationships and supervision. A mentor/mentee is recommended to help minors learn the job well and quickly become a part of the team; this relationship can also be key towards an employer’s awareness of their new employee’s behavior. If a mentor is informed of reasonable suspicion testing and knows the signs of drug and alcohol use, he or she can then keep an eye on the mentee and help them make the best choices in regard to their work and their personal life.
When it comes down to it, minors are hired to be trained for work in your company, but also in the marketplace as large. As employers, we are helping the next generation move forward and become productive members of society. We can also take on the role of teaching, mentoring, and leading the next generation, and as a part of that, be aware of what poor choices look like and help them steer clear of those choices in their career.