Slowly but inevitably the world will have to move on from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the virus is yet to be under control, the global economy is fragile and uncertain. Workers need to return to work and companies are doing their best to move forward amidst the restrictions and slothful markets. With nearly everyone trying to pick up the pace and get ahead of the economic slump ahead, competition for jobs is ramping up. More and more businesses are running background checks on their employees to find the best, most trustworthy person for the job and avoid the inevitable tax fraud that comes from individuals lying on their taxes. It’s no surprise, there are many benefits to doing so that go beyond the ability to view the candidate’s criminal history.
See their Criminal History
Most people know that when you run background checks on employment candidates you have the chance to view any applicable criminal history they may have. It will show what kind of offenses the person has committed, including if they’ve committed a sex crime. This will also let you know if they’ve lied about anything relating to crimes they’ve committed, even if they are misdemeanors. It is very helpful for you to know if the candidate has committed any crimes. You can see national, state, and county criminal records with a background check. There are even federal and international checks.
Provide Personal Information
Beyond criminal history, background checks can provide personal information about the individual. It will show you their address. This is helpful because you will be able to see if they are lying about where they live, which might affect whether or not they are close enough to hire them. Background checks even offer driving records. When the position requires a decent amount of travel and/or driving, you will be able to find out if they have any infractions, tickets, or accidents on their record.
Verify Education & Employment
Perhaps the most important details that background checks provide is to verify education and employment. This is a perfect method to determine if the candidate is being honest about their employment history and education needed for the job. It will give you all the details you need to see if the person is trustworthy, honest, and qualified for the position you are hiring for.
View Professional Licenses
If the job you are hiring for requires a professional license, you will be able to determine which person has what they need to get the job. It will even provide the details about how long they have had the license and when it expires. You will know the type of license type, date issued, expiration date, and more.
Verify References
A background check will even help you verify the references your candidate has put on their resume. It will give you information that you need to see if they worked under the person or not. Of course you can call them for your own information, but this provides a clear determination on the reference, whether it’s personal or professional.
Look at Court Records
Even more than criminal history, the background check will provide court records that may be pertinent. Whether it’s a crime or court documents on another issue, a background check will usually provide even civil court records. Whatever court records the candidate was involved in will usually pop up.
See Worker’s Comp Details
Another important piece of information for hiring is the worker’s comp details of the candidate. Not only does this show whether or not they are being honest about if they were compensated for an injury on the job, it will provide the tax information you will need to know. Sometimes those taxes are put on their next employee, which you will surely want to avoid.
Tax Fraud & Negligence
If the person lies about their taxes or leaves out financial information, it could lead to tax fraud your company may have to pay for. It doesn’t matter whether it’s intentional or not, if they omit taxable income, keep two sets of records, or overstate charitable deductions, your company could end up picking up the tab. Whether it’s wilful or tax negligence, if your prospective candidate doesn’t pay all of their taxes the company who hires them could have to pay.
However you dice it up, running background checks on prospective employees provides helpful information on the candidate. You will get a window into who they are and if they are trustworthy. You will be able to determine if they’re being honest with you and if they have a criminal past. Whatever business you’re in, running background checks will help your company create an honest staff that will grow with the business.
