Every year, just as we think we can’t take any more of the cold and dark of winter, along comes that magical day: March 21.

Spring has sprung on March 21, even if the cold and snow still linger. When it says spring on the calendar, you know a whole new growth period is just ahead. This is true not just for good-weather businesses like farms and greenhouses but for everyone. The financial weather forecast looks good now. Consumers are finally opening their pocketbooks after the post-holiday squeeze and demand is rising for just about every kind of product and service.

If your company is enjoying the fruits of this growth period it probably means you’re thinking about taking on new employees. Here’s some sound advice before you do: get a good background investigation firm on board first. An experienced background investigation company like The Hire Authority (508- 230-5901; www.hireauth.com), could—and often does—make the difference between growing healthy crocuses and tulips… or weeds.

Now, I don’t mean to be a Danny Downer when there’s so much to be positive about. This winter we saw a new administration come into Washington, and the subsequent downturn in unemployment and upturn in the solid stock market has everyone feeling optimistic about the future. Indeed this could be a record-breaking year for many companies, big and small. But you can’t avoid the cautious truth about expansion, which is that all your profit and reinvestment could easily go out the window with one bad hire.

“Really?” you say. “How can one employee do that much damage?”

Easily. Experience shows that one bad apple really can spoil a whole barrelful. The Internet is replete with horror stories. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re hiring short-term or long-term, upper management or entry level.

Here are just some of the ways you can get burned, and the costs you can incur as a result:

• Fake Resume Information – the facts may be fudged or outright fibs; either way it can get you in a tight spot, especially if it means the employee is incompetent. A small example: do you want to unleash your new employee on your forklift, only to discover he lied about having driven them before? I see a huge personal injury lawsuit in your future…
• Criminal Background – you take your employee’s word that he’s never been in trouble with the law, only to discover he’s got a long record of theft after he and his buddies rob your warehouse one dark and stormy night…
• Drugs and alcohol – she seemed like the girl next door, so you believed her when she said she’d never had a drug problem. Her fatal drunk-driving accident, while operating your company’s vehicle, makes a lot more sense when you discover she was actually ordered to rehab last year for a drunk-driving charge…
• False Identity – The name on that social security card he presented matches an upstanding citizen… whose identity your new employee stole. Now he’s nowhere to be found, after stealing your company’s most sensitive records…

Ah, so many examples, so little space! Suffice it to say that when you’re careless in your hiring practices, Murphy’s Law always applies: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

Convinced you should vet your employees thoroughly? Good. But before you do, here’s one more caveat: don’t do it alone. There are so many legal pitfalls, you might just get yourself in deep you-know-what anyway.

Call a professional. A highly experienced one versed in what’s legal or not with background checks. The best companies, like The Hire Authority (508- 230-5901; www.hireauth.com) offer detailed reference checks, verification of identity through social security number search, resume reviews for information falsification, verification of employment dates, verification of education, detailed criminal background checks, driving record checks, even credit report reviews.

Start protecting your company today while the season is still young. Call The Hire Authority at (508) 230-5901, or visit their website at www.hireauth.com for a no-obligation free consultation. You’ll be glad you did.

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

Author: Michael Cormier