Many companies are hesitant to initiate a pre-employment screening policy beyond the interview because of misconceptions about the process. Here are 5 common myths about employee screening, drug testing, and pre-employment background checks that every employer and HR professional needs to be aware of:
Employee Screening is an administrative burden.
An employee screening company should be able to integrate themselves seamlessly with your recruit to hire process. As a one stop shop, Mobile Health is positioned to provide a complete suite of services to help you hire better. Features our clients love include:
- Scheduling background checks, drug screenings and medical assessments all on the same website, in one easy, seamless flow.
- 6 medical centers near 60 subways stops in New York City and Long Island saves everyone time.
- Have a question? Our call center is based in our corporate offices in Midtown Manhattan providing local support to local clients.
- In a rush? We have same day appointments available for that last minute scheduling.
- Review all your results digitally in our client portal – NO PAPERWORK!
What my employee does at home is not of interest to my company.
Although your employees do have a right to privacy, if their personal actions affect their workplace, then that is of interest to your company. Study after study shows that employees who are illicit drug abusers are:
- More likely to be absent and call out.
- More likely to be involved in workplace accidents.
- More likely to engage in workplace fraud.
- More likely to lose productivity for hours or days after drug use.
- More likely to use their workplace to transport, buy or sell drugs.
My company is not responsible to judge an applicant’s past outside of their skills and experience.
One of the fastest growing litigation areas in called Negligent Hiring. If you hire an employee with a criminal or violent past and they act criminally or violently in the workplace, then your company might be held liable for actually hiring the individual. Some previous cases include:
- $2.5M for deliveryman who attacked a customer in her home.
- $235K for hiring unlicensed nurse who assaulted 80-year old visitor.
- $1.75M for hiring employee with sexual abuse record who abused a child.
- $45K for employee with criminal background who raped customer in her home.
My Chief Financial Officer said that there is no ROI on a drug testing policy.
There are real costs to employing drug abusers. In fact, employed drug abusers cost companies over $100 billion every year across the country. For every $1 spent on a workplace drug testing program, the average company experiences $16 in savings from:
- Reduced disability costs
- Reduced medical costs
- Reduced pharmacy costs
- Reduced work’s comp costs
Employee screening is not trust worthy and I don’t want to be sued by my applicant.
This is a very real and reasonable concern And there is a simple answer to these worries: Screen your screener. When you entrust an outside company to perform these screens, make sure you screen them too. Mobile Health’s screening program are backed by:
- Over 28 years of trusted employee screening experience in New York City.
- A Medical Review Officer (MRO) available to review all drug test results and confirmation.
- Drug screening collection and laboratory exceeding SAMHSA and DOT standards.
- All data and reports secured by a HIPAA-compliant client portal.
- Background checks by Sterling Infosystems: world leader in accuracy and quality for background check reports.
Still have a question? Ask below in the comments, or contact Mobile Health to learn more.
