The holidays are an extremely busy time for many businesses so as this season begins, put some thought to seasonal staff background checks. Help your business run smoothly and keep customers satisfied with thorough pre-employment processes and seasonal reference checks. Caught yourself wondering, ‘are seasonal employee background checks really necessary?’ In this blog, we’ll cover why it’s crucial, including a shocking statistic of the increase in average dishonest employee case value.
Seasonal Staff Background Checks: Why It’s Important to “Check Your List Twice”
When the busy seasons approach, companies scramble to recruit temporary workers and make important hiring decisions. Many overlook the necessity for seasonal staff background checks. They often assume skipping checks is okay because these employees are only working for a short while and may not have the same level of access to facilities and assets.
So even though you’re in a rush to onboard seasonal staff, take the time to do it right. Treat seasonal staff background checks in the same manner you would when hiring permanent employees. These pre-employment screenings demand the same level of care as those for staff who remain throughout the year.
Safety Concerns
During the holidays, higher volumes of customers visit retail locations. More packages are delivered to residential locations. Companies hire additional security personnel. With these industries alone, safety needs to be an utmost concern for businesses and for the well-being of their customers. A failure to conduct proper seasonal staff background checks puts customers at risk, in your store or even in their homes.
Protect your customers’ safety and the reputation of your business with proper pre-employment screening for temporary workers. Customer and employee protection is overwhelmingly the top reason businesses report conducting appropriate background checks.
The right screening tools help you make smart seasonal hiring decisions and reduce the risk of hiring someone who could commit a crime against a customer.
Protect Your Bottom Line with an Eye on Loss Prevention
Some business owners assume temporary workers are unlikely to steal from the company because they’re unfamiliar with how things work. Unfortunately, this way of thinking could cost your business a lot.
Some seasonal workers do not have steady employment and may be low on funds. This makes new access to your resources a more desirable target. Plus, they know they’ll be gone in a few weeks. They don’t have a vested interest in the success of your business or loyalty to the business or employer like permanent employees.
Loss Survey Findings
In fact, according to a survey by loss prevention experts Hayes International, 2018 saw theft case values soar. The survey included 20 large retailers in the big box, mass merchant and department store sector. These retailers provided a cross-section of the U.S. with 13,674 stores and reported 2018 sales in excess of $331 billion. Findings included:
- 55 percent reported an increase in shrink in 2018
- average shoplifting case value increased by 11.8 percent
- average dishonest employee case value increased a whopping 30.1 percent
- of the apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees, more than $114 million was recovered
It sounds pessimistic, but sadly, it’s the nature of the system. Some seasonal workers are excited to join, shake up their routine, earn money for the holidays, and maybe hope to come back for summer breaks. Others see it as an opportunity to skim the register or pick up holiday gifts for free. Some might not personally steal, but enable a friend or family member to do so.
Because stores are bustling during the holidays, it’s often easier for theft to go unnoticed than during slower times of the year.
Lower your risk of internal theft, shrinkage, credit card fraud, and other financially-motivated crimes with the right seasonal staff background checks.
Remember, depending on the nature of your operation, seasonal workers may have equal access to cash and financial data as someone who has worked at your business for years. Don’t cut corners and skip pre-employment screening.
Seasonal Staff Background Checks with Barada Associates
Such a hectic season sometimes doesn’t leave business owners and hiring managers the opportunity to dedicate time to thorough seasonal staff background checks. In conclusion, your business needs a trustworthy partner to handle the extra load. Don’t risk safety to staff and customers or financial loss because employment checks felt like a hassle.
Barada Associates provides professional pre-employment screening for seasonal staff background checks as well as reference checking, drug testing, and more. We help you make your lists and check them twice to give your business the best chance for a successful holiday season.
To learn more about our professional pre-employment screening services, contact Barada Associates today.