Why Alpha & Omega?
The US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reports that most individuals who abuse alcohol and other drugs are employed. It is also reported that when they arrive at work, they do not leave their problems outside of the door.
Although the rate of current illicit drug use is higher among unemployed individuals, the vast majority of the current illicit drugs users in the US are employed. Of the estimated current illicit drug users in the U.S., 12.3 million are adults and of these 9.4 million are employed, about 77%.
For everyone involved in running a business:
Both employers and employees suffer when there is workplace alcohol and drug abuse. Some costs are obvious such as increased absences, accidents and errors. Other costs are not always so obvious, such as low morale and high illness rates, but the effects are equally harmful.
Alcohol and drug abuse has been estimated to cost American businesses roughly $81 billion in lost productivity per year due to illness and premature death. Of these combined costs, 86% are attributed to alcohol abuse.
Wouldn't you like to know who it is you are hiring? You would never knowingly hire a molester to work in nursing homes or day care center. No one would trust your business if you hired a thief to handle the money in your business.
Reasons businesses should conduct a criminal history check include the following:
- Reduce your liability
- Increase your reputation
- Diminish the probability of a lawsuit
- Improve employee moral
- Lessen the chances of employee theft
- Create a safer working environment
- Decrease the likelihood of on the job accidents
Being better able to identify the individuals whose history would be harmful to your business is beneficial exponentially. There are also many unseen advantages to this improvement in hiring practices, among them is the improvement to your business growth.
All individuals seeking employment with you should be required to have a criminal history check conducted. It is beneficial to have a drug screening conducted as well. If you have a business or position which will have an individual driving a company vehicle, a driver's history should also be required.