It is interesting that in a tough economy in order to save money employers cut back on the very things that can keep them afloat or help them move forward. Employers often believe it is prudent to withhold the purchase of new equipment or resources. They justify as an unnecessary expense hiring more people, and when they do hire these people they try to cut corners on the background checks they mandate for preemployment screening.
Sometimes cost cutting efforts are necessary. And often they result in diminishing returns. By not buying new equipment and updating things like software and hardware, a company may not be competitive as others in its sector. It can risk losing its edge and with it whatever it claims in market share. The same holds true when employers are reluctant to add to their staff. Some employers have already stripped their employment rosters to the bone by laying off a fair percentage of their workforce. It is okay for awhile to shift additional workloads to the surviving employees, but after awhile these same employees are overwhelmed by the longer working hours, the extra workloads, and in some cases the salary cuts. Their morale starts to drop and productivity declines. A company sustaining itself in a competitive business climate may start to slip and suffer as its employees can no longer maintain that level.
With background checks, employers may consider cutting back on certain types of searches. They may deem the Motor Vehicle Driving Report or MVR not a necessity. They may forgo education verification searches and focus only on criminal records searches. They will save a few bucks but the background checks that are overlooked may be the ones that come back to bite them. The MVR shows more than just driving performance. It can reveal behavior patterns and indicate substance abuse issues. With education verification, taking a job applicant at his word can be a dangerous proposition. An employment candidate that is supposed to have certain skill sets backed by an authentic college diploma or degree from graduate school may prove a disaster if the employer discovers later is education claims are incomplete or an outright lie. There are diploma mills and even employment mills that for a few bucks will gladly support the candidate’s claims. But then when that candidate now employee fails at his job or embarrasses the employer because of inadequacies in serving an account, the potential losses are far greater than the possible savings.
It has been predicted that hiring will be slow for the fourth quarter. The job market is down. That is not to say it is the job market will decline, just that it will move forward at a slower than desired hiring pace. The competitive job market gives employers a deeper pool of talent. It is important that employers seize the opportunity and find the right match for their companies. They need to be thorough in the recruiting and interview process and to conduct comprehensive background checks that will best ascertain whether this employment candidate is the best fit for the job. The fact is that most employers will not just be hiring as a stopgap measure or for present needs. The people they hire today will be considered for the future development as well.
