According to Debra Keller, president, and chief compliance officer with Total Insight Screening, negligent hiring claims mean an employer is responsible to exercise due diligence that someone they hired doesn’t pose a risk to team members or the public. In a recent case, the spouse of a victim was awarded $1.2 million when the employer was found to have not conducted a thorough background check and, therefore, was responsible for the employee’s death. There are so many other reasons for businesses to conduct background screening on all incoming and existing employees, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidance and “ban-the-box” laws.
