Background Checks for Cleaning Companies: What You May Not Know

Jean Hanson

How well do you know the cleaners you hire? If you reviewed their application and did an interview or two, you may have a good "gut instinct" for who they are. But many people are skilled at telling employers what they want to hear, and they are also good at embellishing their employment application.

Here are a few items that background checks can uncover:

• Hiding citizenship by providing a false Social Security number.
• Listing a false birth date to hide criminal charges.
• Mis-spelling last name to avoid being found on sex offender lists.
• Providing a false drivers license number or mis-spelling last name to avoid DUI charge detection.
• Providing a false address to avoid detection of an outstanding warrant.
• Listing a false educational degree and/or providing a false diploma from a "diploma mill".

In addition, some of the fraudulent activities you'll commonly encounter in your cleaning business include:

• Theft of customer property
• Theft of employer property
• Theft of cash or checks
• Padding time worked or lying on time sheets
• Using business vehicle for personal use
• Falsified or fictitious expense reports
• Improper use of company credit cards or gas cards
• Taking inventory or supplies and selling it for personal gain
• Using confidential information about you or your customers for personal gain

These are just a few examples. If you spent any time in the workforce, you can probably fill in the blanks with even more examples of employee dishonesty.

It is your responsibility as an employer to avoid negligent hiring. Negligent hiring means that the employer failed to properly screen the employee, resulting in the hiring of someone with a dangerous or untrustworthy character. You can avoid negligent hiring claims by doing pre-employment background checks and drug testing.

Keep in mind that the majority of people who apply for jobs are trustworthy, honest people. But you still need to protect yourself and your customers from those few dishonest people who WILL apply for a job with your company. Although it may seem somewhat expensive, you will be thankful you spent the money now, rather than making a costly hiring decision that could have been prevented.

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Jean Hanson helps owners of commercial cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Jean is also the host of the popular Web TV show CleaningBiz.tv and author of the newsletter Trash Talk - sign up today!

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Copyright TheJanitorialStore.com. All Rights Reserved.
Jean Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.