Employers Need a Private Investigator Now More Than Ever
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.
