Money Isn't Everything: The Less Tangible Benefits of Background Checks

We’ve written extensively on the financial benefits of background checks, or conversely the cost of having to replace an employee you did not properly vet. It is also important to remind you of the additional benefits of background checks that might be more difficult to measure with numbers, but certainly translate into ROI. Every company, big or small, will have a company culture. It will either lean towards being a positive place that attracts great people or one that leaves them desperately searching for the escape hatch. While many factors contribute to the vibe of your worksite, nothing makes a bigger difference than people. When workers respect management, look forward to seeing their coworkers and make themselves available to supporting new, less experienced employees, that is when you see companies thrive.

Positive work environments do not happen by chance.

Company culture is a curation process. It happens when management deliberately creates a strategy and a hiring process that promotes the right kinds of values among employees. That process starts with background checks and pre screenings.

Employees Need to Be Safe

We want to be careful here and not use the phrase “feel safe.” Feeling safe is a perception. It could be true. It could be false. Every business should aim to make certain that employees are safe. Background checks help you determine if an employee has a criminal background. If the prescreening process shows a candidate has a history of violent behaviors or theft, that employee is not a safe choice for your workforce.

“Safety, belonging, and mattering are essential to your brain and your ability to perform at work, at home, and in life overall.” - Forbes

Employees Need to Be An Asset, Not a Liability

The goal of any business is to grow and be financially profitable. Background checks help management ascertain if a candidate has a history of being loyal, productive and friendly with other staff. It will also tell you if this person has a reputation for creating strife, participating in and promoting gossip or throwing other employees under the bus to avoid responsibility. The former candidate is one that will help you build your business, the latter is likely to be an employee who will blow it up (figuratively speaking). Background screenings help you find an employee who will share your vision, rather than one who just wants to watch it burn.

“An employee’s inertia is strengthened or weakened by the degree of compatibility between his own work ethic and the values for which the company stands.” Harvard Business Review

Employees Need Honesty

Employees, like children, need healthy boundaries in which to thrive. People excel when there is freedom within boundaries. They know what the standards are and they are free to grow and expand within those necessary limits. This reality involves honesty on two levels. First, you’ll need to find candidates that are reliable enough to show up on time, work when they are being paid and be good stewards of the supplies, products and equipment they will work with. You need people who know and accept the boundaries. On the other hand, you need to hire someone you can trust to make good, ethical decisions when a situation is not black and white, when they are asked to work without supervision and who will treat customers the way you expect. This is the work done freely within those more defined boundaries. Background Checks help you find honest and trustworthy employees.

“Trust among coworkers forms a powerful bond that facilitates communication and working together. Mutual trust enables coworkers to communicate honestly and effectively, and it prevents wasting time and energy on having to watch your back.” VensureHR

When you find the right traits in individual workers, those workers help build a positive work culture. With a positive work culture, your business will attract the most skilled workers and the type of worker who seeks longevity. This will build a fun atmosphere where employees enjoy each other and their job. While all of that translates into a financial gain, it also takes a heavy weight off of management. If you’re ready to start creating or reforming your company culture, contact Workplace Safety Screenings to get started.