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Background Checks to Weed Out Workplace Bullies

I was reading a recent article about how WorkSafe in Australia  will be going to more than 40,000 employers to educated their employees on workplace violence and workplace bullies.   It is a pretty daunting task and one that takes awhile, as they interview staffers and provide training.

This decision comes after one poor soul was driven to suicide by workplace bullies.   Of course there is no end to workplace violence, in general, and the economic downturn has turned people sour, and the level of anger in the workplace has increased.  The lousy economy has resulted into increased levels of physical violence and verbal abuse in the office.   Some people do not handle adversity well and allow their emotions to get out of control.

Of course, conducting background checks will go a long way in weeding out the workplace bullies and those prone to commit violence in the workplace.   Doing the background check for criminal records and even county civil records where there are restraining orders against your candidate can prove helpful. Restraining orders usually result after domestic issues get out of hand.   With background checks you can discover if your candidate has any past history as a sexual offender or if he or she has a hatred for the opposite sex.

It is a good thing to come in after incidents of workplace violence and lecture and train employees on how not to act out in the workplace.  But the fact remains that the damage has already been done.  Someone has been hurt, or worse, and your business is embarrassed.   And costly lawsuits can result from the incident.

So check them out before you hire.

By Gordon Basichis

Gordon Basichis is the Co-Founder of Corra Group, specializing in pre-employment background checks and corporate research. He has been a marketing and media executive and has worked in the entertainment industry, the financial, health care and technology sectors. He is the author of the best selling Beautiful Bad Girl, The Vicki Morgan Story, a non-fiction novel that helped define exotic sexuality in the late twentieth century. He is the author of the Constant Travellers and has recently completed a new book, The Guys Who Spied for China, dealing with Chinese Espionage in the United States. He has been a journalist for several newspapers and is a screenwriter and producer.

One reply on “Background Checks to Weed Out Workplace Bullies”

[…] While Fox’s article focuses on homicides, an employer should also consider the somewhat less drastic incidents of workplace.   Sexual harassment, psychological and physical abuse are common problems within the workplace.    Fortunately, murder pales in comparison to the other issues of workplace violence.     I have written about workplace violence and in one article about workplace bullies, a pure joy to be around while working under stress in today’s economy.   This article was entitled, Background Checks to Weed Out Workplace Bullies. […]