The last few years have seen an unprecedented rise in the incidences of workplace misconduct. This is according to Ajay Trehan, a background screening expert with 10 years of experience in the industry.

Mr. Trehan who is the founder and CEO of AuthBridge – a background screening company – uttered this sentiment in an interview with Mydigitalfc.com. The interview was reported on the mydigitalfc.com website on September 20th, 2015.

According to the interview, the types of workplace misconduct which have risen sharply over the last few years include “fluffing” résumé, employee fraud, and theft of data and intellectual property. Others include lying about past experiences/accomplishments, violence and even criminal activity.

These types of misconduct, according to Mr. Trehan, are mostly on the rise in the Indian workplace (the major focus of the interview was on India). However, similar incidences have been observed in other workplaces. For instance, lying in résumé is something recruiters all over the world have to contend with.

An Employee Screening Challenge

As organizations face up to these rising cases of workplace misconduct, their first line of defense through background screening. Mr. Trehan stated that:

Organizations need to understand that background verification should not just be restricted to junior to mid-level employees, but should also include CXO-level employees and the leadership team.

He recommended that at a minimum, organizations need to carry out four types of checks on potential on each potential hire. These include an education check, employment check, address check and reference check.

An education check helps to verify the claims made in a candidate’s résumé. It makes it easy to identify those who lied about their academic credentials. An employment check not only verifies a candidate’s employment claims, but also unearths any disciplinary issues at their previous jobs.

An address check verifies a candidate’s residency, and finds out about how they conduct themselves in their neighborhood. This can unearth any behavioral problems. A reference check completes the verification process by finding out what the candidate’s references have to say about him or her.

Although not mentioned by Mr. Trehan, almost every HR will agree that a pre-employment verification process isn’t complete without a criminal background check. Some of the cases of potential workplace misconduct can actually be revealed by a criminal background check.

The bottom line is that as organizations plan to tackle the rising incidences of misconduct in the workplace, their best strategy is through pre-employment background checks. Such checks can help to weed out unsavory characters who would otherwise become problematic in the workplace.

Beyond Workplace Misconduct

However, according to Mr. Trehan, the need for background verification services goes beyond tackling misconduct in the workplace. He attributed the rise in demand for background verification services to two other factors: “an increase in negligent hiring lawsuits and the threat of terrorism.”

Negligent hiring lawsuits are definitely on the rise for employers who don’t properly screen candidates. One of the most recent was brought against the ride-sharing service Uber – after a driver sexually assaulted a passenger. The problem is that the driver had a previous criminal conviction. However, Uber’s lax screening process had let him slip through the cracks.

No employer would want to be in Uber’s position: not just over the lawsuit, but that a person they hired harmed their clients or other employees. This is why the threat for terrorism is also a major motivator for conducting background checks.

Helpful Tips For HR Professionals

Mr. Trehan was asked to recommend a to-do list for HR professionals who desire to maximize the impact of background checks. These were his recommendations:

• Develop policies which govern background screening.
• Make sure each background check is tailored towards a specific position i.e. avoid conducting blanket checks.
• Develop a clear and specific set of criteria for evaluating candidates’ résumés.
• Conduct periodic background screening of all employees in order to maintain the quality of the workforce.
• Carry out due diligence before contracting a vendor to provide the background screening services.

In a nutshell, the sharp rise in workplace misconduct is something which HR professionals may have to contend with. One of the best strategies for reducing the likelihood of such misconduct is through thoroughly screening both job candidates and employees. The best way of carrying out such screening is through conducting background checks. The tips shared by Mr. Trehan can help any HR professional to develop an effective background check strategy.

Written by Brett McIntyre of Crimcheck. Crimcheck specializes in pre-employment screening and background checks. We protect your brand using real people, proven business solutions and innovative technology