CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKING

A frightening number of people have criminal records which they hide from their employers - for obvious reasons. While many offences are petty and might have no relation to the work being performed, sometimes even seemingly innocent offences can have important knock-on effects for a company employing such a person.

For example, a person who has repeated drunk-driving offences, might well be the wrong individual to employ in a position where he or she has to often drive company vehicles.

Other more serious criminal offences might well influence company hiring decisions: for example, a convicted fraudster would be, in all likelihood, an inappropriate person to appoint as a bookkeeper.

A convicted rapist, who, for example, has been employed without a criminal record check,   might not only present a danger to fellow employees but could also quite possibly open the company up to civil law suits for failing to provide a safe working environment. Such a  a case could be easily proven should it be shown that the company was negligent in checking out who it was employing.