By all means, trust your gut and watch for any possible red flags while interacting with new people in the workplace or in your personal life.
But that method isn’t foolproof, and the usual background checking methods aren’t either.
How many times have you heard shocking stories about someone previously thought by almost everyone to be the poster child of congeniality and virtue?
Employment Background Investigations, Inc. lists some shocking background screening statistics on their website, including these below:
–In 2005, there were 389,380 establishments with at least one incident of workplace violence.
–According to the 2006 report from the Bureau of Labor statistics, over 70 percent of United States workplaces did not have a formal program or policy that addressed workplace violence.
–According to the 2007 ADP Annual Screening Index, 41 percent of employment, education and/or credential reference checks revealed a difference of information between what the applicant provided and what the source reported.
–NAPBS industry statistics indicate at least 1 in 4 international credentials are fraudulent.
–Terrorism figures: There have been 25223 incidents, 88478 injuries and 44657 fatalities due to terrorism this decade.
–Drug-using employees are two times more likely to request early dismissal or time off, three times more likely to have absences of eight days or more, three times more likely to be late for work, four times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident and five times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim.
–An estimated 3.1 percent of employed adults actually used illicit drugs before reporting to work or during work hours at least once in the past year, with about 2.9 percent working while under the influence of an illicit drug.
More information here: http://www.ebiinc.com/ebi-resources-facts-stats.html
It’s important to clear away the fog surrounding the true intent of the people with whom you interact on a professional and personal level, especially those you don’t know very well.
One of the best ways to do that is through multiple assessment methods, including handwriting analysis, so you can avoid being vulnerable to high risk.
Copyright © 2010 Scott Petullo