A employer with a business in a rural or more isolated area may believe it should be less concerned with criminal background checks. This mistaken belief is rooted in the archaic American idyl where country or rural people are living the simple, uncomplicated life. The rural world is supposedly one of innocence and a degree of naivete. In fact, we have seen the small town and rural life hammered at us, during the past presidential election.
But then there is the reality. Rural areas are pervasive with meth or crank labs and speed freaks who are often prone to violent acts and serious crimes. You have the drug cartels who have penetrated these areas and have taken advantage of the shortcomings of an understaffed police force. And then you have the sexual offenders who are looking for a quiet place to settle, undiscovered. Some will reengage in the sex crimes that got them into trouble in the first place. Others may just want to live a quiet life.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, one semi-rural town in California’s Contra Costa County is the refuge for more than 100 sexual offenders. The county, overall, has more than 1,700 sex offenders. That is a lot of people to monitor for a budget hampered law enforcement staff. Of course this is disturbing to the residents who live in the area. It should also be a concern of employers who hire from this region or regions just like it, around the country. By not running the criminal records background check and the sexual offender’s registry report, you the employer are risking the unwitting recruitment of a sex offender or sexual criminal.
Hiring someone with this kind of past can be very toxic in the work place. Fellow workers are extremely uncomfortable. This can reflect on the morale in your workplace. There are often violent threats or even acts of violent. Such threats or acts of violence can create liability issues that are expensive to litigate or settle. There is also the issue of bad publicity. Hiring sexual criminals is not considered one of the best of all public relations move.
Still, there are employers who believe in giving people a second chance. Some employers will hire a sexual offender in the belief that person has learned his less, paid his debt to society and now just needs a break. I am not one to argue for or against that decision. However, I strong suggest that any employer be aware of his employment candidate’s criminal past. To think that the chances of his job candidate having a criminal is small is foolish. Believing this is the case because the job candidate has a rural address can prove a very serious mistake.
In this economy, making the wrong hiring decision, specifically, hiring a sexual offender can have several results. The first is nothing happens, the sexual offender is accepted and assimilated into the workplace. Unlikely. Or maybe he is barely tolerated. More likely. The second is that the sex offenders draws a negative reaction from his fellow workers, and that can result into liability issues and bad publicity.
The third possibility is that loyal but disgusted employees starting looking elsewhere for jobs. Suddenly you are confronted with a talent loss, people who know your business, and have functioned well. But now they are leaving. There is a high cost for rehiring and training. There is a loss of time and money as you, the employer, searches for replacement. Despite the tough economy, few job candidates will be able to hit the ground running. You supply chain can suffer. Your customer service can suffer. In this economy, your business must be efficient and cost effective. In this recession, especially, this is no time to allow your business to falter.
When it comes to background checks, assume nothing. As the very least, criminal background checks and the review of the sexual offender’s registry should be the very least of what an employer conducts as part of its pre-employment screening reports. There are two ways to realize that seemingly quiet folk living in rural districts are not necessarily without blemished pasts. There is the easy way. And there is the hard way. The hard way will cost a lot more.
Check them out before you hire.
