Tennessee Governor, Phil Bredsen, is requesting that after two failed Presidencies, the University of Tennessee take extra measures in conducting background checks on its new Presidential candidates.  According to an article on Nashville Public Radio, Bredsen wisely cautioned against using search firms for recruiting candidates as they may have other agendas other than the best interest of the University.

In his effort to see the University of Tennessee become a top tier research University, the governor wants the school’s future presidents to come under greater scrutiny.  A college president is responsible for administrative duties but also for fund raising.  You can’t raise funds if you have a tainted president of a major institution of learning.    The governor spoke about the difficulty in obtaining decent reference checks on candidates.  He noted that in this day and age no one would reveal any negative qualities about an applicant.

The University of Tennessee is a fine school and deserves a president that can serve as an inspiring leader, one who can raise funding in help the University achieve its goals as it moves toward the middle of the twenty first century.

In general, after the Amy Bishop debacle, I can only stress that schools should issue a more comprehensive choice of background checks as part of their preemployment screening programs.  Thankfully, not every administrator will make the headlines of an Amy Bishop, but changing times demand greater scrutiny.

With respect to background checks, the governor has a point.  However, if the reference questions are phrased properly and the reference researcher is good at what he or she does, then it is possible to obtain a reference verification that will assist in ascertaining qualities and required skill sets.  As a background check, the professional reference verifiction check while lmited, largely due to the fact it is your candidate providing the reference names,  can still offer valuable insight into the character and capabilities of your job candidate.

I would suggest that the University also conduct both federal criminal searches as well as federal civil records searches and county civil court records searches, as these will address any issues of lawsuits or questionable behavior on  he part of the candidate that does not meet the threshold of criminal malfeasance.

UT has been had three presidents in the last ten years. The last two were confronted with ethical questions regarding their finances,.    The third quit in 2001 amid allegations of a relationship with a female administrator. Where have we seen this before?

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.

Tags: Background Checks, county criminal records, Economy, Human Resources, pre-employment screening

Increasingly, more public service agencies are discovering that not all employees have represented themselves and their background histories as accurately as anyone would like.  Be it state or municipal public service agencies, school boards or teachers, everyday there are no discovers that…ooops…someone hired has either a criminal record or is a sexual offender.

Despite the economic downturn and the need for most public agencies to watch their budgets,  there is an growing awareness that as a public servant you absolutely most conduct background checks on your employment candidates.   Not just background checks, but thorough background checks.  Otherwise, you run the risk of hiring workers who could prove a threat to your other work staff, to children, or who may decided to abscond with their unfair share of state or local funding.

Given the cost of background checks, the liability issues are much greater.  As said, not only do public service agencies, who do not conduct background checks, run the risk of endangering the workplace on in some cases students and children that were entrusted to them, but they risk very extensive lawsuits and the incumbent liability issues.   They risk the type of public embarrassment that so many public service agencies have experienced over the last couple of years.

According to Fox8 News of Greensboro, Winston Salem, Employees of the local school system will be subject to random background checks in addition to the preemployment screening program conducted during the recruitment phase for new job candidates.  This prudent decision came after one teacher was arrested for charges of sexual misconduct.   It was discovered then that he had a prior embezzlement conviction.

I applaud the Winston-Salem/ForsythCounty School Board for its wise choice.  “If we can do anything to keep our students safe, it’s worth every penny,” said Dossie Poteat, the Principal of the of the East Forsyth Middle School.

Wise words indeed.

Check them out before you hire.

Many great businesses started from modest beginnings.   If America is nothing else, it is the place where someone with an idea and a chocolate chip cookie can grow into a major franchise.   In the case of Tariq Farid, featured in Inc.Com,  he started out only wishing to sell fresh fruit artistically shaped like flower bouquets.    A good idea, a lot of work,  some cost cutting experiments, and  his Edible Arrangements was off to a running start.  By the second year his revenue doubled.

Eight months from the inception of Edible Arrangements, someone approached Tariq around franchising.   According to the article, which I urge everyone to read, Tariq said franchising your business is far different than expanding your own chain.   He attributes part of his success by the way to hiring a creative designer for just the right logo.   Very important.

We are happy for Tariq’s success.   Edible Arrangements is the perfect example as to what can be done with innovation, initiative, and even a modest amount of investment capital.   His story is especially inspiring at a time when the economic downturn has forced many employees to be laid off from their jobs.   Many start thinking about the different ways to make a living, and of course the most desirable is to start their own business.

I would encourage anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit, hidden or otherwise, to have a go at it.   But aside, from innovation, creativity, and all the rest, you have to be careful in today’s economic climate.    While most businesses are eager to partner with  a talented and competently run business, either as a vendor or a client, there are predators out there.  This rough economy brings them out of the woodwork or out from under the rock, wherever they lay in waiting.

Be sure your suppliers can continue to provide you with the necessary goods and services.  Make sure they are on solid ground, financially, and that their reputations are such that you would be at a disadvantage in doing business with them.   As for your prospective clients, if you don’t know them, check them out as well.   Often the good news is that you got a new client.   The bad news is you only got them because they had burned all their bridges and you were their last resort.

There are a variety of corporate background checks that constitute business research.   There are bankruptcies, liens, and judgments records, comprehensive background searches on the key individuals, and business credit reports.    There are corporate records searches you can run, as well as county criminal and county civil searches to check on pending criminal cases or pending lawsuits.   Federal Criminal and Civil Searches are important if you are dealing with a financial entity.

It’s a modest investment to help assure you are protected from the predators and scam artists who lurk among the honest business people.  So be bold, be creative, and be bold.   But look around for the minefields that can damage even the best of efforts, and the nasty little creatures who are determined to thrust sticks into your bicycle spokes just when you hit top speed.   Check them out before you do business.