You may not know what’s going on in someone’s life that will turn them from hirable to liable.
…
[Phone rings]
Ann: “Cutting Edge, this is Ann.”
Current Customer: “I just heard that one of my care workers, Susie, was in jail. Can you tell me why?”
Ann: Hmmmmm…..
My client’s business, in this instance is working with a very vulnerable population. Think daycare facilities. Nursing homes. Susie had already been with the company for some time and had passed all of her employment screenings.
Now, why WAS Susie in jail?
Susie, my research revealed, was convicted in the federal courts. Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
After she had been hired, she drove through the post office parking lot and tried to run down not one, not two, but three postal employees while brandishing a firearm.
Three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Convicted on all counts.
She pled with the courts not to send her to jail until she was done detoxing from methadone. Well, there’s a bonus. The judge did not agree, and deemed that she could detox while doing time.
Is this someone you would want working with your vulnerable population? That’s a decision for you.
What can I recommend to protect yourself, your company and your employees?
- Re-screen your employees ever year or two. Susie was clear when she got hired. Or, clear enough to get the job. And her performance wasn’t even at issue. You may not know what’s going on in someone’s life that will turn them from hirable to liable.
- Be sure to check the federal courts. They oftentimes get overlooked. Susie’s crime was federal because she assaulted federal employees at a federal place. It wasn’t ever going to show up in the local courts.
Rescreen periodically, be sure you’re running the right checks to get the information you need to make the best decisions, and have a background screening partner you can depend on because:
You may not have hired a turkey, but sometimes your employees become fowl.
