You may think that pre-employment background checks are reserved only for large corporations, but the truth is that more and more companies – including small businesses – are doing them. According to a recent Business News Daily article, the Society for Human Resource Management estimates that almost 70% of employers perform background checks on their job candidates.

If you feel as though background checks are an unnecessary step, let us provide some reasons that may change your way of thinking about them.

First of all, fraud is costly – in more ways than one. In addition to the money that you lose if an employee steals from you, the costs associated with taking legal action against that person can mount very quickly – leaving you in a financially precarious position. And most small businesses don’t have a wealth of funds upon which to draw.

Secondly, an employee’s misdeeds reflect badly on you. Not only is it bad for the morale of the company to have to deal with a dishonest employee, but it could result in liability issues for your organization. By doing your due diligence in advance, you can go a long way toward avoiding these liability concerns, by proving that you were not negligent in your hiring practices.

Finally, you might actually be putting your employees’ minds at ease, if they know that they and their colleagues have been properly vetted. Honest employees will have nothing to hide, and will be glad to know that their coworkers don’t either.

SourceOne Payroll provides comprehensive background check services for small businesses. Contact us today to learn more about how we can reduce the risk of employee theft, fraud, embezzlement and violence in your workplace.