Having been burned by an embarrassing and disturbing  sexual assault incident, Match.com has agreed to conduct background checks on its members.   According to the article in the Daily Pilot a woman was raped on her second date with a Match.com partner.  As it turns out, the assailant had six prior sexual assault convictions.   So much for meeting the man of your dreams.

Most online dating sites promise to some extent that you will meet your soul mate.  They boast of special filtering systems so that one prospect will be accurately matched with another, according to mutual tastes and behavior.  So with the promise of the perfect romance, even marriage, as the lure, it is difficult for a dating site to require background checks, just in case Mr. Perfect is an ax murder or, as in this case, a convicted sex offender.   How one filters out gold diggers may be another story.

In this economy, there are the usual gold digging predators, looking to con the unsuspecting, the overly romantic, the terminally naive and gullible out of their money.  And then there are the sexual predators.   They know how to work the Internet and the dating sites.  They are good at pushing buttons on the unsuspecting.   After all, people are on dating sites with high hopes and the desire to escape the lonely nights and find a decent relationship.  This is a natural impulse and it’s a shame that some, more than a few, want  to take advantage of the hopefuls that are out there.

But then life is what it is and in this poor economy and with the sensibility being what it is, the truly romantic are perceived as fair game by far too many.  At least Match.com is taking steps to help prevent such a terrible incident from happening again.

Normally, I would be writing about background checks here.   But for those who don’t know me, I have had for years a literary life outside of employment screening.  And since my new novel, The Blood Orange, was just published, I figured i would post something about it here.

Minstrel’s Alley is the publishing group that published this novel.   The Blood Orange is a romantic mystery thriller set in California and is the tradition of Raymond chandler and other Los Angeles Noir msytery writers.  The novel is set in contemporary times but draws upon old Spanish California bandit legends.  Some years ago a local Los Angeles police officer whose family had settled in California many generations before, told me about the bandits that used to live way up in the Hollywood Hills and swoop down on the Pueblo, some miles away.  There was talk of buried gold and hidden treasure.   I thought it would  make for a great subject from which to draw a modern LA mystery thriller.  So here we are.

Gordon Basichis, or if you prefer, me,  is the author of several previous books, including the roman a clef, The Guys Who Spied for China, the non-fiction novel, Beautiful Bad Girl, the Vicki Morgan Story, and The Constant Travellers, a new age Western Fantasy novel

Here is  the link to the Press Release announcing Minstrel’s Alley Publication of The Blood Orange.

The increase of workplace violence is quite alarming.  Some try to explain it away and attribute some of the violent incidents in the workplace to domestic disputes that aren’t really work related but incidents of domestic origin  where the spouse or lover enters the office of his significant other and creates violence.    These particular incidents are often attributed to a bad economy and the financial frustration that burdens a good many families.  People let it build up, and then they explode.

But feeling frustrated about the economy, about job prospects and one’s love life in general is a notable distance to actually killing or hurting someone.  And then of course acting out over some real or perceived slight may be attributable to internal frustration or even mental imbalances, but doesn’t say much for common values or self-control.    People shouldn’t be hurting people on the job.  Office sniping is bad enough, but real sniping, which has occurred, is something else altogether.

Washington D.C. has experienced recently several instances of workplace violence.   Emily Babay in an article in the Washington Examiner writes about workplace violence in the D.C. area.   Workplace violence in D.C. has increased, while it has declined in various parts of the country.  Baby writes that most incidents of workplace violence are a result of robberies.  Usually, these murders are a result of one employee working alone, being robbed and then murdered.  But there are the other incidents, not just he murders but the beatings, and then the personal attacks on fellow employees that can cause lasting psychological damage.

No matter what variety, workplace violence has a lasting negative impact on both the working environment and the surrounding community.   Workplace violence causes a drop in office morale and leaves the surrounding community with that awful lump-ion-your throat feeling that his kind of thing can happen next door.  People in a community remember these violent episodes for a long time after.

The article is well worth reading.  I found the charts showing the year to year statistics on workplace violence in the general D.C. area to be of great interest.  As the job market remain tight and people fear for their livelihoods, frustration will remain high and workplace violence is more likely to occur.   One more reason for getting the economy back on solid footing.

Sex offenders need not apply to Match.com for a membership.   Since the reported sexual assault, Match.com will be conducting background checks on its membership.  An article in the Gothamist describe the unsavory and violent ordeal a woman experienced having agreed to go out with a man on Match.com.     The article said the man had six separate convictions as a sex offender.

I wonder if these types roam around from one online dating service to another, in search of prey.   Many are quite charming and know all too well how to push the right emotional buttons on women in search of a paramour.     If nothing else,  most sex criminals understand a successful pervert knows how to exude that special kind of charm.

Match.com President, Mandy Ginsberg wisely issued the caveat, “We want to stress that while these checks may help in certain instances, they remain highly flawed, and it is critical that this effort does not provide a false sense of security to our members.”   Definitely words to live by.   There is more to searching for sex offenders than merely looking up a name.  I would think, too, is the new member to an online dating site actually signing up in his own name?

The article asks what becomes of people with similar names as convicted sex offenders.   The sex offender registry is, after all, populated with numerous people of similar names.   I don’t know how it will be handled through Match.com, but when we at Corra Group conduct a sex offender background check we isolate the person using his first last and middle names as well as his date of  birth.  We will draw up his social security trace to see where has lived and if his former residences reflect where the sex crimes initially took place.   At the very last, we will obtain a photo of the person and ask our clients if this looks like their guy.

It is one thing to conduct the background check.  But once there are results, especially with something as serious as s sex offender, it is necessary to do the additional research.   On one hand you don’t want to allow a sex offender to slip between the cracks.  But on the other, you don’t want to accuse someone just because they have a similar name as the one turned up in a sex offender background check.    That’s an unfair price to pay for a genuine guy with a similar name, just exploring the dating sites in search of a little love.

A recent article in the Cornell Daily Sun announced that 45,000 people are exposed to identity theft now that someone stole a university owned laptop computer.   Neither the names nor the social security numbers were not encrypted, making it easy pickings for even your garden variety identity thief.  The names on the list were those of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

That’s convenient as the names on the list are not necessarily limited to impoverished students, although it would be difficult to say with a straight face that many Cornell students are particularly impoverished.   Although, with the economic downturn, you never can tell.  But then there are names of notable faculty and of course the alumni who as graduates of Cornell University have probably gone on to relative affluence.   So the stelaing of 45,000 names for possible identity theft becomes the happy hunting ground for these particular thieves.

We shouldn’t blame Cornell.  In fact the United States government has lost computers with vital information.   The Department of Agriculture once left open a portal where ambitious thieves had access to thousands of names of people associated in some way with that branch of government.   State governments and private corporations also leave names and social security numbers lying around.

The thing is in this rotten economy, people will resort to desperate acts.  Identity theft is high on the list of nefarious enterprises, especially with the recession.

There are ways to determine if you are a victim of identity theft.  Of the more obvious, if you are notifed of late bills for credit accounts you never opened, then that’s a sure hint that someone stole your identity.   Running your credit reports for all three agencies and checking to see if there are credit accounts listed that are unknown to you, is a good ounce of prevention.   Running your social security trace to see if there are other persons associated with your name is always a helpful background check.

If you are employer, it is vital to be sure the person you are considering for employment is not working on someone’s identity.   As odd as it seems, it happens on a fairly regualr basis.   Undocumented workers use social security numbers that were either stolen or given to them by friends and associates.   It is not all that uncommon to see multiple names on a pre-employment social security trace.

As an employer, don’t rule out the possibility that someone can find employment under an assumed name only to rob you of your proprietary information and then disappear without a trace.   Their showing identity if not enough, as counterfeit identity can be purchased in many parks and on many street corners around the country.   With the economy on the downturn and not many jobs available, false identity documents can now be had for a bargain.

So do your best to prevent theft of your identity.   And for employers, check them out before you hire.

When Soap Opera actors start receiving pay cuts then you know the economy is on a slippery slope.   But it is true.   Yes, true…cue in the ominous organ music.   According to an article in AdAge, Susan Lucci and others actors will be learning to live with less.  Aren’t we all?

I suppose one could say this is where art, if you call it that, imitates reality.  The loyal Soap fans are suffering, so why not the actors?   Well, maybe the viewers aren’t so loyal anymore.  Ratings are down.  Ad revenue is way down.  Not just for the networks, but affiliates are also looking at declining revenue.  Not many car commercials between gripping moments of human baby.   “She is having my secret, illegitimate, baby.”  Maybe.  But not in this car.

In some cases, due to the budget constraints resulting from this economic downturn, actors have been let go.   Maybe they aren’t really fire but just laid off, until they can make a dramatic comeback in better times.  “I survived the fire that killed by parakeet,  but times at least are good now.”

When shows are renewed, the networks are renewing them at reduced license fees.   That is the fee per episode the network pays the producer.   Writing staffs have been reduced.  I have a friend who is a longtime soap writer and producer, and he could vouch for that.

Some claim it is the reduction of characters or the permanent sets, which are now used to save dollars.  Others claim the stories and characters are not what they should be.  Some say the loss of older characters and the older storylines are causing a problem.   Viewers like characters with pasts and the background history they bring to the drama. But the audience is tuning out, that is for certain.

Does this sound like your business?   Being forced to cut back and lay off people?  If so, as some have suggested about the Soap Operas, maybe it is time to return to a more basic business principle.  Everyobdy likes service.  And, as everyone likes actors who can deliver rich characters, everyone likes workers who can deliver the service.   Customers not only like the service but respect you for providing it, especially in critical times when others are cutting back.

So maybe it is time to hire people.  And if you do, check them out before you hire.

There is nothing like an economic downturn to think about doing a business makeover.   You might want to consider the business model itself, your branding, logos, colors, symbols, and especially your marketing and merchandising efforts.

Pepsico is doing a total business makeover.  To the tune of $1.2 Billion over the next three years.  A recent article in Advertising Age reports that Pepsico will be closing six plants and laying off thousand of employees.   The business will revamp the branding on its carbonated soft drinks and will review the branding on its Gatorade products as well.

Why?  Business is lousy.  Sales have fallen off.   With respect to soft drinks, in tough economic times people will drink tap water and eschew the dubious virtues of carbonated soft drinks.   Pepsico will change its logos so that the core Pepsi Cola will show a series of smalls on the white part of the label, a grin will be used for Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi Max will display a laugh.  I say forget the smiles, laughs and grins.   Perhaps it would be better to reexamine the possibility of switching out the icky corn syrup sweetener and replacing it with sugar, just like in the good old days.   That would go a long way, I believe, in gaining new appeal.   But, hey, for $1.2 Billion they are entitled to make their own mistakes.

So with Pepsico doing this huge makeover, is it time for you to look at your own business?   In this great economic bakeoff it’s time to see which aspects of your programs work for you and which do not.   Look for ways to cut costs by making your business more efficient.  Look to hire employees who can bring you up to the cutting edge of business technology.   Be sure to have a preemployment screening program in place to make sure they are who they say they are.   Conduct business research and business intelligence so when you conduct business development you are not fishing for loser clients who can’t pay their bills.

If you have cash, then use it as a resource to cut better deals with your vendors and suppliers.  There are so many late pays right now you can cut yourself better rates and service by virtue of your ability to pay, and to pay quickly.   Look over your branding, your logos.  Make sure you business model is fresh and not outmoded, reminiscent of these sorry times.  Change what you need to change.   As for the forthcoming Pepsi-type smiley faces, I’ll leave that up to you.

Saw an interesting blog article on Everse , Five Resons Why Pre Wedding Background Checks Are Essential that answered a query from a Darius Harris that pretty much summed up the reasons for doing background checks on your prospective paramours and spouses.

Since Corra Group has conducted background checks for dating and on line dating, we couldn’t agree more. The list of reasons is a good list. We would only add the caution that with dating sites you will often find a reluctance to issue background checks.

Background checks on a dating site can deliver and mixed and somewhat confusing message. On one hand the dating site is promising the lover of your dreams. On the other, the are telling you to check it out, in case the person is a child molester or axe murderer. Kind of ruins the mood they are creating.

So before you get married or too involved with someone, check them out. People, even soul mates, can do all kinds of desperate things in this funky economy. When you subscribe to the axiom, expect the unexpected, you will have a better grip on the realities of life.

Frankly, most people don’t check out their lovers or even their spouses to be. And in the aftermath or discover, we get the call. Either they have sensed something wrong, the person made sudden demands, exhibited unwarranted rage, whatever. So then they call. More often than not, I will tell the caller, she or he, mostly she, already knows the answers to the questions. Something is wrong. Only now she, or he, wants closure. To know for sure.

Sometimes it’s the friends who put the future spouse or paramour up to checking out the interested party. She, or he, is too caught up in the romance to sense there is something wrong. All those kind words and flowers tend to cloud the view. The friends, however, can be amazing objective. When it is not their own issues of concern, they can easily see the forest from the trees. But with their own involvements, as with the majority of us, we can never see as clearly. It happens like that. The universe’s joke on we mere mortals.

The last thing we would recommend is that you consider the OFAC or Terror Report. We realize the odds are extremely slim that your paramour would be a terrorists. But there are all kinds of lists and the OFAC reports persons who are excluded from doing business in the United States. For the few bucks, it is worth it. The odds are very slim, but you never really know.

And if you do discover negative aspects to the list provided on EVerse, don’t hang around. We suggest you then consult Paul Simon’s timeless rock and roll classic, “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

Check them out before you hire.

Most workers willing to move for a job: Manpower

By Nick Zieminski

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Most workers around the world are willing to relocate for their job, either within their country or abroad, but people’s mobility is closely tied to their age and education level, according to a Manpower Inc survey on Tuesday.

For the entire article go to Reuters.com

In tougher times it makes sense that most workers are willing to relocate for a job. If you think about the out of work hobos of the depression riding the rails and risking their necks for just some spare change and a few potatoes then moving to another city with a signing bonus and relocation package doesn’t seem all that terrible. Sure, you might miss you friends and distance yourself from your relatives, not always the worst thing, and it might take getting use to the new environment. But if you think of it as an adventure then it can be pretty exciting.

For you employers willing to relocate new employees because of their works skills and qualifications, the initial outlay may be compensated by the new employee’s expertise and the renewed energy he brings to the office. Still, when you are hiring the out of town talent you should make sure that the relocation is a profitable move and not one that proves harmful.

Background checks will help you determine whether it is worthwhile to relocated a job candidate. Reference verifications can be very important in determining skill sets and the candidate’s abilities and networking connections. Education verification is always important as is the criminal background check. If your candidate is working in the financial arena, then we always recommend the Federal Criminal background check and Federal Civil background check to review the possibility of any white collar crimes or SEC violations.

People need to work and, let’s face it, with the real estate market being as down as it is, they are even more motivated to move on. They may be selling cheap where they are, but they are also buying cheap somewhere else. This is, after all, a country where economic volatility often results in dramatic migrations. Back in the depression, the Oakies moved from the famed Dust Bowl of Oklahoma to California. During the awakening of the American South in the seventies and eighties, and the shrinking markets in the North East US, people moved around.

And now, we have people coming and going from everywhere. We have international candidates willing to relocate to the US and we have American Candidates willing to move around. It’s amazing what economic bad news can do.

Check them out before you hire.

I thought this was pretty interesting.

Don’t Praise Employees…Praise Their Work or Abilities

• “I don’t get it! If I tell an employee how well he did a certain work task, did I not just praise the employee?” No, what you did was praise the work done by the employee.
• “What’s the difference?”
• When you praise an employee and not the work you are communicating to the employee that you value him or her as a person, instead of saying that you value a particular skill he or she possesses or the amount of hard work it took to get a certain job done. For example, Debbie is a salesperson who just signed up a new customer for your company. Now you have a choice, you can either tell Debbie that she is a great and terrific person, or you can tell Debbie that you appreciate all the hard work she did in order to sign-up the new customer.
• For the complete article go to employee-employee.com

The author points out some interesting distinctions between praising the employee and praising the work of the employee. It definitely makes s4ense and should go a long way to avoid confusion in the work place.

I do see where when you include and reinforce your employees they perform better. When Corra performs professional reference verifications for client job candidates, we always ask “What is the best way to work with that person.” Most often, we will hear, “Be inclusive and provide positive reinforcement.”

But what was it that Ronald Reagan is so well known for saying. Trust but verify. Hence the need to run background checks on your job candidates. A good preemployment screening program can tell you if you have the right person for the job. Once you do bring that person aboard, you can praise his work, or not, all day long.

Check them out before you hire.