On June 22nd, 2018, a J&R engineering employee was rushed to the hospital after an argument-gone-wrong in Barberton, Ohio. 29-year-old Aaron Brooks was charged with felonious assault and ownership of a weapon under disability. During a heated dispute, Brooks pulled out a gun and shot his coworker in the chest. As someone who has been with J&R for 2 years, this incident came as a shock to his employers.
After further investigation, Barberton law enforcement discovered J&R did not perform a background check on Brooks. The neglected background screening would have revealed his history of felony convictions, addiction, and mental disability. Anyone of these components would have automatically terminated his hire — failure to follow basic hiring procedures resulted in violence and a damaged reputation to a respected business.
Thankfully, no other employees were harmed in the altercation. However, Brooks’ situation, along with many other violent crimes in the workplace, could have been easily prevented. Failing to perform a criminal background check endangers you, your coworkers, and your reputation. Employees deserve to feel safe in their workplace, and employers need to feel confident in their hires. Approximately 2 million people report workplace violence annually. Employers experiences lost production due to this alarming number. Employees miss 1.8 million workdays in total which results in $55 million in lost wages. A huge cost to both companies and workers in general in which a background check may have prevented.
A criminal background screening for employment can provide you with crucial information such as identity verification, employment verification, driving history, criminal record, and much more. Many people fabricate their job application in an attempt to appear more eligible for the position, and a background check can verify their information. Performing a criminal background check can help reduce workplace violence, protect your company against negligent hiring liability, and reduce employee turnover. Make sure you or your HR Department are backgrounding every employee.