At Radius Investigations, we frequently stress how critical it is for companies to conduct proper and thorough background screening on prospective employees. A proper background investigation can help protect not only the company itself, but also its employees and their families, the company's brand, and its customers. Pre-employment screening should be standard practice for every organization, as demonstrated in an article written by Timothy Bella for america.aljazeera.com. Mr. Bella' article discusses how the NFL, as well as individual teams, hire private investigators to do background checks on college players prior to the NFL Draft.

Today, the league employs more than 70 independent investigators and performs background checks on every prospect invited to the combine, almost 400 total, reported The New York Times. In addition to league-administered background checks, teams conduct their own checks, often hiring security firms, private investigators or FBI agents. This year, there is a particular emphasis on players with a history of violence, which would warrant an additional background check, according to the league’s updated player conduct policy.

Read the entire article here...

Obviously, the NFL, as well as individual NFL franchises, realize the importance of hiring people who will properly represent the "the game". They're looking for good citizens who will increase the value of the NFL's brand instead of tarnishing it. This is especially important considering the recent scandals rocking the NFL regarding player misconduct.

The same situation, and the same risk, exists for every business, whether local, national, or international. The best way to protect YOUR brand and your standing in the community is to do your best to make sure you're hiring good citizens by conducting thorough employee background checks.

When most people think of a private detective they think of seedy deals in back alleys and someone taking photos of a cheating spouse. But that's the Hollywood version of it. The reality is that a professional private investigator can help with a number of different issues throughout a wide range of areas.

Two perfect examples are vetting and hiring new employees, and assisting in investigating internal employment-related issues.

Turning to a private investigator, especially one skilled in fraud detection and prevention, to help with the hiring and human resources management aspect of running a business could save a business and its customers from being victimized by a "bad" employee.

There are approximately 16 million people living in the New York City/Long Island area. While the majority of them are decent, law-abiding people, some might not be what they appear. As a result, you may need a private investigator to help you protect your business from fraudsters who prey on their employers. Here is a look at how a professional investigator can help:

Employee Background Checks

An employer needs to know that they are hiring the right person for the job because hiring the wrong person for the job can be very costly, especially for smaller businesses. Hiring mistakes have actually led to companies going bankrupt in extreme cases. Every year, a company can lose about 5% of its total revenue to occupational fraud. That's a significant number, and it highlights how important it is to get help. In addition, if a company hires a person without checking their history, and that person later victimizes either employees or customers of the company, the company may well be liable for “negligent hiring.”

Consider this:

• It costs 3 times a position's salary to replace a person hired in that specific position.
• 10% of criminal background checks turn up red flags
• 23% of employment background checks turn up red flags
• 44% of driving records turn up red flags

All of this means that you could be hiring someone who isn't what they say they are. And while, at first, it might seem to be a minor issue, that dishonesty could grow once they're in your employ. Once inside the company, that dishonest employees could access confidential information, systematically steal from the company or its clients, steal trade secrets, and, in the worst cases, cause physical harm to co-workers or customers. A thorough background check can help to lessen those risks by identifying red flags of misconduct or dishonesty before the company, and its employees, are made vulnerable.

Worker's Comp Claims

If a worker is hurt on the job, you're legally required to provide financial assistance to them. However, this is where a tremendous amount of fraud takes place. In fact, a proper background check of a potential employee could reveal repeat instances of worker's comp claims, or a history of filing frivolous lawsuits against previous employers. A private investigator could not only run background checks, but could help determine whether or not a claim is legitimate through surveillance, photographs, social media, and more.

The sad fact is that not everyone is honest, and there is always a chance that one of your employees could take advantage of you. But with the services of a good private detective, you can help protect yourself, your company, your employees, and your customers, and make sure you have the right team working for you.