Memorial Day next week marks the unofficial start of Summer, with beaches and vacation spots opening, youth day and overnight summer camps starting, and tourists visiting hotels, restaurants, and retail shops. In this month’s blog we’d like to focus on hiring practices specific to these types of businesses.

Summer hiring will include lifeguards, camp counselors, hotel and restaurant staff, cashiers, and others. Business owners must be concerned with protecting those who frequent these businesses, the employees who work at these businesses, as well as protecting the business itself from theft, sex crimes, violence, lawsuits, and defamation.

Restaurants

New statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation say that restaurants are the number eight location for violent crime (including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and property crime, arson, burglary, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft). The FBI also reports that convenience stores and gas stations, also frequented more during the tourist season, are the fourth and seventh most common locations for violent crime.

Retail

 Retail sales is number four of the six most dangerous occupations, according to research done by Red Dot, makers of an alert mobile application through which users can send instant alerts to first responders, medical personnel and security teams. They state that bartenders have the highest workplace violence rate of all retail sales occupations; their rate is comparable to mental health professions (which is number two on the list).

Hotels

The five most common hotel crimes committed at hotels, in order of occurrence, are:

1. Burglary and theft
2. Physical Assault
3. Car break-ins
4. Prostitution
5. Murder

(Source: National Crime Scene Cleanup)

While some hotel theft is committed by guests or their visitors, hotel staff can embezzle money, credit cards, jewelry, clothes, and electronic gadgets. In many cases, they are caught stealing money from cash counters, crockery or food, liquor, and other essentials. (Source: eZee Absolute, an online hotel management system.)

Ladders, a recruitment and job search organization, published a survey written by C. W. Headley titled “Almost half of all housekeepers have stolen something from a guest.” Of the 197 housekeepers queried in the survey, 36.5% were men, and 63.5% were women. Eleven percent of the participants had cleaned guest rooms on a cruise ship at some point, 87.3% in hotels, 57.9% in motels, and 42.1% in resorts. The survey found that “forty-three percent of all the professionals surveyed disclosed having stolen personal items from guests at least once in their career with cash and technology being the most frequently looted item”; “nearly 1 in 3 confessed to seeing a co-worker steal cash on the job”; and “while 16% said they were guilty of taking the jewelry out of a guest’s room during or after their stay, more than 27% witnessed a co-worker pick up jewelry they ‘found while cleaning’.”

 Theft

 CompareCamp, a research firm, based in Chicago, lists retail as number five of the five industries with the highest cases of occupational fraud, coming after banking/financial, manufacturing, government, and healthcare. They say that “revenue loss and even ultimately filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy are real risks business owners face as they maintain operations, and employee theft is one reason a business can take a nose dive” and that “it is estimated that 33% of corporate bankruptcies in the US are linked to employee theft.”

Seven out of 10 employee theft cases came from organizations with fewer than 500 employees. Across all industries, 52% is theft of office supplies, 30% theft of time, 18% theft of corporate intelligence, and 32% theft of products and services.

Summer Camps

Statistics show that the sexual abuse of boys and girls in U.S. camps is, sadly, more common than you might think. And in addition to the reported cases, research shows at least 60 percent of occurrences go unreported.

A thorough employee background check is important with regard to any business, but when it comes to children even more crucial regarding criminal background checks, refresh checks, thorough employment verification, and extensive in-person interviews. Besides camps, this includes lifeguards and drivers who have contact with children.

There should be training for camp counselors on the topic of child sexual assault and camps must have a detailed policy about reporting that involves law enforcement if a camper complains of inappropriate behavior.

Any Employee Background Check Should Always Include the Following:

• Misdemeanor and felony criminal records searches at the county, state and national levels (international also, if necessary)
• Sex-offender status searches
• Social Security number traces and validations
• Employment and education verifications
• Professional license verifications
• Checks on references, credit reports, civil records, driver’s license and motor vehicle records
• Military records verifications
• Workers’ compensation history searches
• Healthcare sanction checks
• Address history checks
• Social media screening
• Continuous monitoring of existing employees to identify changes in criminal or other status since their hire

Compliance

In addition, employers must make sure they are in compliance with state, federal, and county laws (including workers’ rights). These laws and regulations are continually being updated and added to, and a business owner needs to be abreast of them in order not to violate and be subject to hefty fines, lawsuits, or worse. Compliance is getting more and more complex and requires extensive knowledge, preferably a professional with solid experience in these matters.

Why Choose The Hire Authority for Employee Background Screening?

At The Hire Authority we are experienced, professional, and thorough in our screening, which guarantees that you will receive information that is current and relevant. We also are experts in compliance with state, federal, and county laws. We care about your security, and we will work with you to keep you safe from harm or unnecessary problems. Be safe, not sorry.

We’d be happy to talk to you about screening your employees. Call us at (508) 230-5901 or visit our website www.hireauth.com with any questions you may have.

The foregoing should not be construed as legal advice. Employers should always consult their own legal counsel for advice on labor and employment matters.