Fri, August 29th, 2008 - 7:18 am - By Gordon Basichis
I was amazed to read that nearly 5,500 people died on the job in 2007. What was perhaps even more amazing is that that number is down 6% from the previous year. Meanwhile, murders on the job increased by 13%, bringing the total to 610. This is another remarkable figure posted in an article on Inc.com
If you pattern this out, based on a full 52 week year, 150-odd people are dying weekly from fatal work accidents. And eleven-plus people are being murdered every week while on the job. Gives new meaning tot he term, “this is your last day at work.” It also demonstrates there are either a lot of clumsy people out there or the safety standards at different industries are sub-par. Probably is a combination of both.
As for all the murders, there have to be a lot of angry folk around the water cooler. Some, obviously are more angry than others. Or less sane. Perhaps it’s the economy, too many lousy TV shows, domestic disputes. It is tough to say, really.
I do know this. When we run our background checks we look for behavior patterns. While no one can easily discern clumsy, the combined criminal search, credit report and, surprisingly, Motor Vehicle Records Search, will often reveal behavior patterns indicating substance issues and domestic strife. If this kind of behavior does show up, then you may want to reconsider the candidate rather than endanger your work force.
One more reason to check them out before you hire.
Fri, August 29th, 2008 - 6:02 am - By Gordon Basichis
Labor Day was first celebrated in New York, in 1882. It became a nationally recognized holiday in 1894.
There have been a lot of changes since then. While the quality of life has improved tremendously, we often find ourselves working harder, well beyond the 40 hour work week that everyone was once striving for. Some of use find ourselves working, 70, 80, even 100 hours a week.
We work weekends, come in early and often work late into the night. Although we are allotted weeks of vacation time, many of us don’t ever take the full amount. With the changing world, and the paradigm that has become necessary, we undergo background checks and various elements of preemployment screening.
Our interview sessions are often multiple and the decision to hire or not will take much longer than it once did. We negotiate our salary, but we also negotiate our bonuses and added perks. We once had relative job security, but now we are concerned with downsizing, outsourcing and cost cutting layoffs.
It’s a different world, for sure. But we still have Labor Day and Labor Day Weekend. So enjoy it with friends and with family. Be happy and, above all, be safe. No statistics on the highway toll.
Best to all.
Check them out before you hire.
Fri, August 29th, 2008 - 5:00 am - By Gordon Basichis
Yahoo reported yesterday that two defense contractors are accused of human trafficking. The Yahoo Article says that KBR.Inc and a Jordanian sub-contractor were transporting 12 Nepali men against their will to Iraq when the men were killed in an attack.
Of course, the lawsuit hasn’t gone to trial and is still in its early stages. If it is true, then this kind of behavior should never be tolerated in the modern world. In fact, it should have never been tolerated at all. Perhaps there is irony that the lawsuit was filed just before our Labor Day Weekend.
Thu, August 28th, 2008 - 5:29 am - By Gordon Basichis
There is a man in Israel who says he has at least part of the solution to global warning. According to Haaretz, the Israeli English language newspaper, Max Nadel, has a simple means of creating alternative energy. You would think a guy like this would be working for one of the larger conglomerates or at least a cutting edge alternative energy group. Think again.
Max doesn’t have a job. Max can barely afford a small room in a run down apartment building in downtown Tel Aviv. So for the time being, anyway, this leaves Max out of any presentations of his findings to science groups at the United Nations or anywhere else.
Max calls him premise the Totem system. This is short of the Total Energy Modulation Model. (see diagram) Max’s machine produces energy through steam, heat produced by solar cells, and the colling liquid produced in biogas power plants. Max claims the system could be made even more efficient by using wind, thermal, and energy from the rivers or seas.
I don’t know if it works. Who does? Maybe Max does. But I am reminded of all the great inventions that were discovered by accident or through the miracle of simplicity. From Ben Franklin to Charles Goodyear, the list goes on an on about accidental and simple inventions that have changed the planet.
Maybe Max can change the planet. Maybe Max deserves a job, or funding…something. I’m sure Max is a ready candidate for preemployment screening and the usual host of background checks. I’m sure Max could use a little money so he could show his system to the world. In this world of mega-mergers and complex approaches to our energy needs, maybe Max has one of the answers. Good luck to him.
Check them out before you hire.
Thu, August 28th, 2008 - 4:20 am - By Gordon Basichis
Hollbrook Mohr has bylined an article on MyWay that defines the fear gripping the undocumented workers and their families, following the high profile Federal raid on Howard Industries. The article tells how nealry 600 people were detained and now there is panic among relatives in this small Mississippi town.
So all arguments for and against hiring undocumented workers aside, it is clear form this article that when the illegal workers are frightened they don’t show up for work. So when you have hundreds of people not showing up for work for an extended period of time, even for a couple of days, this can really bite into your production. The no shows will increase costs, and if the shortage of workers causes a delay in your delivery deadlines, then you will risk alienating your clients.
To say the least, frightened workers not showing up for work will affect your bottom line. It may affect it enough that you may want to reconsider whether it is really a lower cost to higher undocumented workers. Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain. Sometimes when the bargain falls apart the price tag is greater than you have ever expected. With the economic downturn, you may wish to review your employment options.
More and more companies are running background checks on their employment candidates. This is not just for managerial positions but even for lower level hires employers are conducting the Social Security Trace and the criminal background check. The Social Security Trace enables employers to validate the legitimacy of their workers.
At the end of the day it may not be your workers who shy away because they are frightened. Clients may also stay away to avoid association with bad publicity.
So check them out before you hire. You may save yourself an embarrassing moment on the six o’clock news.
Wed, August 27th, 2008 - 6:50 am - By Gordon Basichis
There are problems with the Railhead Program, which for the uninitiated is the United States Terror Database. This is the database where all information regarding terrorists, potential terrorists and related evil doers was to be dumped, integrated and made available to the appropriate government agencies. This like many other things in life was almost a good idea.
The fact is the Railhead desperately needs a half billion dollar upgrade and enough personnel to keep it updated. As it stands, vital CIA intelligence is not being processed. The projected upgrades, instead of improving the system, will limit access and information sharing among the different agencies. Analysts will have increased difficulty in accessing much needed intelligence.
There are design flaws to the system. I guess that is an understatement. The article by Mike Sachoff on WedProNews quotes North Carolina Congressman, Brad Miller, who says–
“This is a critical national security program that has been plagued by technical design and development errors, basic management blunders and poor government oversight,” said Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC). “The program not only can’t connect the dots, it can’t find the dots.”
Now considering that cyber warfare is the word of the day, this breakdown in a key terror database can only bode for other systems and their vulnerability to cyber attack as well as basic dysfunction. Too often, I’m afraid, we learn the answer to that one the hard way.
Upon reading this, one has to wonder if your own business is running like the government. Do you have technical and design flaws in your systems, poor contractor management and lousy oversight? In other words, are you kidding yourself about how your own business is running?
There are valuable lessons here. The first being that systems often don’t perform in the manner claimed. The second is in relation to poor upfront planning and not going over all the what ifs and potential speed bumps when setting up your own business system. One thing is for certain, there will be always elements that will jump out and surprise you. Be they favorable elements or the spook, destructive kind can vary with luck and planning. Of course, when you eliminate these potential surprises with careful planning, design and constant oversight you reduce the more dreadful of surprises.
It is also necessary to look up the road and be willing to part with the necessary funding to constantly maintain and develop your systems so that not only meet your present needs but future needs as well. And above all, always be sure to hire the right people, with the proper skills. And then hire someone who can train and manage them effectively. The initial outlay almost always outweighs the make money you need to spend when you don’t plan for the future.
So take a lesson from this article. Be prudent. Be realistic. And, as the great agency, the Boy Scouts of America, proclaim. Be prepared.
Check them out before you hire.
Wed, August 27th, 2008 - 4:33 am - By Gordon Basichis
The Feds have raided Howard Industries in Laurel, Mississippi and arrested some 600 undocumented workers. News like this, as posted this time on Breitbart, proves embarrassing for any business. And costly. You lose your workforce, face fines and even the threat of being closed for an indefinite period.
Your clients don’t like to read about it and may shy away. The public, in general, has their own opinions about it that may sour your branding. So no matter how you look at it, hiring undocumented workers is a good idea until you get caught.
To prevent the embarrassment and the penalty costs, it would be wise to run either I-9 Verifications on Social Security Traces on your employment candidates, as well as criminal searches. It is difficult enough to be raided and have Federal Agents arrest undocumented workers in your place of business. It is much worse if the undocumented workers have criminal histories.
Crackdowns on undocumented workers will probably occur with increasingly frequency. As more states pass stiffer penalties for hiring undocumented workers, your business will face the possibility of raids from the state as well as federal authorities.
Do yourself a favor and check them out before you hire.
Tue, August 26th, 2008 - 5:52 am - By Gordon Basichis
Unless you have been living in a cave in the recesses of the Sahara for the last twenty years, you are aware that ageism pervades the work place. Boomers and even people in the Gen X range are having trouble retaining and finding positions.
It would stand to reason as the work place downsizes, those making the most money, incurring the most expenses in healthcare, etc., would be the ones who were first laid off. Some claim the older folks are out of day and lack energy. Like most things it is probably true in most cases, but for a generation indoctrinated with a strong work ethic, much of these claims are more convenient than likely.
But now with the shortage of skilled employees in the work place, some of the more senior executives and employees are the true finds. Rather than impose retirement, HR Managers are trying to talk them out of it. They are trying to redefine the role of the senior employee and to redesign their schedules to best accommodate their desires regarding their need for more leisure time with their needs for the added money and feeling of inclusion that employment brings.
Marc Cenedella of TheLadders.com, cites Dara Torres in her Olympic return 26 years later, at 41 years of age. This is not only reflective of Torres and her exemplary behavior at the Olympics, but for all of us.
Take advantage of the lessons you’ve learned over your career – you’re sharper, you’ve seen it all, and you’ve got a lot of learning to bring to bear on the business problems of your prospective employer. Put your best foot forward and really showcase that expertise – after all, it’s been a long time in the making!
The bottom line is show some class. Understate your achievements and respect those around you. Take the position as to what you can offer and not why someone is so lucky to find you. Undergo preemployment screening with the grace of your position and the awareness that this is the process, regardless of who you are.
If you are a senior, you may never be cool in the contemporary context. And nothing looks more pathetic than the older guy trying to look cool. But you can show class and garner the respect for your deeds, your graciousness and for the time and experience you have lived on the planet.
Check them out before you hire.