Risks of Not Screening Applicants
Employers often wonder why applicant background checks matter. They consume time and resources and do not always confer obvious benefits. The fact is, however, that every applicant for employment can and should be screened in a way that is appropriate given the position that he or she seeks.
Sometimes It’s The Law
Many states require employers to conduct applicant background checks for certain positions. One of the last things any employer wants is to hire someone new only to face fines and lawsuits later because the employer did not take the simple step of complying with state or local requirements regarding background checks. Employers with special licenses may even put their licenses at risk by neglecting to perform the required background checks. It is easy to avoid that by finding out what the law requires and then doing it.
Who Wants To Be Sued?
Every so often your local news will run a horror story about an employer. Maybe an investment fund or accounting firm hired a known embezzler who cleaned out the accounts of several customers. Perhaps a delivery service hired someone with a record of driving while intoxicated who promptly crashed a delivery van into some pedestrians. Sometimes the crimes and the harm are even more serious. Whatever the problem was, the employer can be certain that if the victims think that the employer could and should have discovered the employee’s past and background and should, therefore, have prevented the harm, then the employer will be sued.
These days it seems like almost anyone will file a lawsuit over any actual or perceived injury, so the prospect of litigation of not an idle threat. The law in many states permits victims of employee misconduct to sue the employer who could and should have prevented the employee from being in a position of power and doing whatever it is that they did. Even if the employer did nothing wrong, a lawsuit (or multiple suits) will cost the employer not only legal fees that could run into tens of thousands of dollars but also lost employee productivity that is valuable but harder to measure.
You’re Only Hurting Yourself
The costs of not screening applicants are not limited to legal fees, lost productivity, lost licenses, and possibly payments to injured victims. Employers who develop reputations for not screening applicants may find it harder to attract suitable workers or even suffer public relations nightmares that drive away customers in droves. Additionally, where the victim of the unscreened employee is another employee, that means there will be a claim for workers compensation benefits, which will drive up the employer’s insurance premiums.
Conclusion
If you want to cut corners and lose your workforce, your customers, your license, and possibly your business itself, then do not bother screening applicants. If, on the other hand, you want your business to thrive, then spend the time and the money to conduct applicant background checks on every applicant for employment.
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Choosing a Wireless Card Reader
Accepting credit and debit cards in a mobile environment is critical for nearly every business today. Learn all about wireless card readers and how to choose one for your needs right now.
1. Consider the Upfront Fees
Does the wireless card reader require a monthly fee? Do you have to pay for the reader upfront? No business wants extra costs, so look for devices and plans that have free readers and little to no monthly fees.
There are plans available with these features. Do your research because it will pay off. The reader’s seller will ultimately make up the cost of a free device with transaction fees.
2. Weighing Reader Abilities
There are readers for practically any application. They can read magstripe, contactless, chip and bar codes. Your chosen reader may not have all of these features, however.
Explore each reader’s published details because they’ll help you narrow down a selection. Do you really need a bar-code reader? Some businesses don’t require this feature.
Be sure to keep up with chips and contactless needs, however. Everyone likes paying with their phones, for instance, and your reader’s ability to perform this task might create repeat business.
3. Unraveling Transaction Fees
The transaction fees can be as confusing as your high-school calculus class. You can’t make out any clear numbers!
Take some time in this area so that you can understand the percentages or flat rates attributed to each sale. In addition, look at fees that differ between in-person or keyed-in transactions. It may not make a difference to you, but the reader processes these transactions in unique ways.
4. Remaining Compatible With Your POS System
Choose a wireless card reader that’s compatible with your business’s POS system. Ask the device manufacturer if you aren’t sure. No reader is valuable if it has problems “talking” to your software.
You should be able to access inventory and manage it with the reader’s assistance. It becomes another outlet for keeping up with your stock. Although readers aren’t inventory tools, they must connect to your counts in order to release an item for a sale. Nobody wants confusion during the next inventory count because of a card-reader mishap!
5. Staying Within the Plan
Get the most out of your reader by simply sticking to the rules. Being a rebel in the business world will only add up to excessive costs and fees. Once you choose your device, use their payment processor and remain within your contracted charging amount.
If you choose a plan that’s based on an average of $10,000 charged through the reader, stay close to that amount. Going over or under that amount by several thousand dollars will cost you in fees from most providers.
Don’t hesitate to ask for hardware upgrades as your time with the original reader grows longer than one or two years. Loyal businesses should receive a discount on an upgrade at some point. The latest software and hardware will give your wireless card reader a new life with each swipe.
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