The statistics are clear, workplace violence both recorded and under the radar impact business productivity significantly with over 1.5 million work days lost annually. This does not include all the unreported lost days due to workplace harassment and violence. According to the FBI the majority of incidents that employees/managers have to deal with on a daily basis are lesser cases of assaults, domestic violence, stalking, threats, harassment (to include sexual harassment), and physical and/or emotional abuse that make no headlines.
With the facts now being produced it makes more sense now than ever for Human Resource professionals and those involved in the hiring of new employees to put a sound employment screening system in place. Employment background checks performed through a professional third party provider help thwart future workplace violence by discarding potential employees that represent a threat to the workplace environment. Many times background investigation can surface past incidents that provide clear signs of behavior habits that could pose a significant threat to workplace environments. Properly vetting these candidates allows for filtering out of such high risk candidates thus increasing a business’s odds of having a violence and harassment free work place. This saves the company a lot of money over time and provides a safe and sane work environment for all employees.