Employment reference checks are considered as one of the best tools to inquire about a prospective employee. Reference checking has always been an important factor for all the companies who want to make the informed decision of hiring the right employee.These days’ applicants are asked to provide employment references, such as previous employers or coworkers, whom employers can contact to learn more about the candidate. Employment reference checks are used to verify truthfulness and accuracy of information applicants provide about themselves and to reveal negative job-related background information hidden by the applicants.Unfortunately, previous employers are increasingly reluctant to provide references or background check information for fear of being sued by previous employees for defamation. If former employers provide potential employers with unsubstantiated information that damages applicants’ chances of being hired, applicants can (and do) sue for defamation. As a result, 54 percent of employers will not provide information about previous employees.This situation is very discouraging for employers as it creates a hindrance in their fair selection process and in determining the true value of an employee. But as we know that there is always a way to handle things with care to get optimum results without a problem. So by remembering the basic goals and using best practices in employment reference checks cannot only save time but also relieve all the fears of defamation.Two Essential Goals for Employment Reference Checks:
To discourage applicants to hide something. An applicant with a serious criminal conviction is less likely to apply in the organizations that announce pre-employment background and referencing.
To encourage applicants to be very honest in their applications and interviews. Since applicants are told there is a background check, they have a motivation to reveal information about themselves they feel may be uncovered with a probable reference check.
Best Practices When Checking Employment References: Employers have a number of options with regard to checking the references of a prospective employee. These can change from having the human resources person or the hiring manager call the former supervisor directly to check the reference, to third party to collect background information on a candidate, including checking references, and then reporting back to prospective employer.If an employer decides for employment reference checks than they should be looking into the following guidelines:
Include a statement on the application for employment directly above the applicant’s signature line stating that all information on the application on the application is subject to verification and that any false or misleading information may result in refusal to hire or, if already hired, the immediate termination of employment.
Require every applicant for employment to sign a waiver and consent form authorizing the prospective employer to check references and authorizing all former employers, supervisors, and managers to release information in response to a request for a reference and/or verification of employment.
Establish a written procedure for reference checking including when in the hiring process reference checks will be conducted, who will conduct the reference checks, and what kinds of documentation will be kept of information obtained through reference check.
Limit questions to information that is job-related; don’t ask for medical information, information about physical characteristics, and/or other personal information that is not related to the employee’s conduct on the job.
Consider preparing a list of job-related questions that will be asked of all finalists for a particular position. This may help avoid claims of discrimination or claims that prospective employer inquired about the information that it was not legally entitled to have.
Be fair and consistent.
Employment Reference Checks – Best Practices When Checking Employee References!
Separation of Church and Politics
Most Christians want to go to church to worship and serve, not hear political dogma. Often, however, their attempts to worship are frustrated by religious leaders and/or members who feel that it is important to use the church as a political platform.We are accustomed to hearing news about the Separation of Church and State which is established by the first amendment of our constitution, but we seldom hear anything about ‘Separation of Church and Politics,’ which is unregulated. This is about the freedom to attend worship without being bombarded with single-minded political persuasion. Worshipers should not have to commit to a political party as a requirement of participation in a Christian organization.The first amendment of the US Constitutional mandates that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… ” What that means has been debated in courts and Congress for over two centuries. More recently it has come to mean that freedom to pray or express religious ideas is restricted in public places out of respect for those who ascribe to different beliefs. At the same time as freedom of expression of faith is increasingly being restricted, the Conservative led government has increasingly worked to legislate morality as it is interpreted by a limited group of religious leaders.Some people who believe that they know the political mind of God tend to talk in Christian gatherings as if their opinion is the only one. Those that do not agree tend to feel alienated by the more vocal religious leaders, and as a result many are moving away from the church altogether. According to PEW Foundation the number of people who report hearing politics in their place of worship is decreasing, however there are still many people displaced by the rhetoric.Currently more and more people are saying that they are spiritual but not religious. According to the Pew Foundation, “the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.” http://www.pewforum.org/Topics/Religious-Affiliation/Unaffiliated/If you find yourself avoiding your church because of the political rhetoric, I recommend that you continue attending some place of worship. You may want to call potential churches before visiting and just ask, “Does your church support a particular political agenda?” And, “Do your pastor or Bible teachers discuss politics from the pulpit or in Bible study?” There are many grace-centered churches, grounded in the Bible, who respect every member’s right to think for themselves.
Eliminating Profit Robbing Telemarketing Calls to Your Business
Most of us small business owners don’t have the luxury of having a secretary or office manager to screen our calls for us. It can become overwhelming when answering sales call after sales call from telemarketers prevent us from doing what makes us money. To top it off, we can sometimes be talked into spending our hard earned money on products or services that are often overpriced and/or not needed in the first place.Each time we add a new business telephone number or change the business location of the ones we currently have, our telephone numbers are placed on a telemarketing list as a “new business.” Our business phone lines are then overrun by harassing telemarketers that want to be the first to sell a new business what they don’t need. You see a “new business owner” generally hasn’t fine tuned their decision making skills to the point that they can just say no and hang up. These skills come with time and experience. Telemarketers know this and target these new business owners because seasoned owners won’t fall for their tactics.I am always adding or changing toll free and regular phone numbers. To prevent this constant barrage of calls (I call it “the first wave”) or to at least limit them, I have developed a strategy that is working right now. You, as a small business owner, can take what you need from this and add to it your own ideas that you have found that work.First, the “Do Not Call” list! This list was set up for consumers and not businesses. We as consumers are afforded a lot more rights under the law than we are as business owners. Either way there is no mechanism the government can use to determine whether the number you put on the list is a business number or a residential number. I am not telling you to put your company’s number on the list. I am simply explaining that if you did, it would work. Any number that is put on this list almost instantly sees a drop in calls from telemarketers. You can find this list by doing a search for “do not call list” on your favorite search engine.Secondly you must accept the fact that if you need something for your business then you will seek it out and find it yourself! Train yourself to never buy “spur of the moment!” Spontaneous purchases can kill a business. Once you realize this then you will never change your phone service just because someone called and was nice to you. You’ll never buy twelve dozen light bulbs or two thousand feet of extension cord. If you need a first aid kit then go buy one at the Home Depot and don’t buy a dozen from a con man on the other end of the phone. First aid kits, extension cords, light bulbs and phone service are all the top sellers to the construction business, your industry may differ but I am sure not by much. You must say no and it is absolutely OK to be rude and to hang up mid sentence. The point is that once you have trained yourself to say “no,” then you can follow step three.Third, you must tell the caller that not only are you not interested but you want them to remove your company and phone number from their list. You must do this every time.
Watch out for “free” items, “we want to save you money” or “can I ask you why” because these are their favorite tricks to get you to spend. I try to be as polite as I can so that they will actually remove my phone number. Sometimes you may need to call an 800 number that they will give you in order to be removed from further solicitation. I recommend that you call and have your business’ phone number removed right away because these companies can actually sell your name to other companies as an “active” number and that will only make matters worse. The problem then spreads like a virus. The bottom line is to tell them no and to ask them to remove you from their list before you even hear what they have to offer.Another way that I minimize the distractions of telemarketing sales calls is to use caller ID. Unfortunately, only local companies that acquire work locally can utilize this method. My concrete cutting company services customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, so when I get a call from California or some odd area code, I will prepare myself to be firm and up front before I answer the phone. If my calls are forwarded to my cellular telephone and I find out the call wasn’t from a vendor or supplier then I will simply program the number as DNA into my cell phone. This stands for “Do Not Answer!” You can program up to ten numbers under one contact name in most cellular phones and give it a distinct ring tone. I have DNA1, DNA2 and so on and I am up to DNA9 right now. If I see or hear one of these numbers come in I just push the button that sends them directly to voice mail.Lastly and very important is the use of a device that is called the “TeleZapper.” The TeleZapper sends a digital tone through the phone line telling automatic dialers used my many telemarketers that the line is currently disconnected and or not in use. The automatic dialing computer subsequently removes your phone number from its list. This not only stops them from calling back it also prevents them from selling your phone number as an “active number.” This device became almost extinct once the “Do Not Call” list became a reality because who needs to “zap” a telemarketer if you are not getting any calls? It still works great for the small business and you will see a dramatic drop in telemarketing calls if you use it correctly. This device will not work if you forward your calls to another phone or if you use a voice mail provided by your phone company and your calls are sent to that voice mail box. It will work when a call is picked up by an answering machine in your office. The TeleZapper is very difficult to find anymore in retail stores but it is still readily available new on eBay or online.© 2007 Affordable Concrete Cutting Massachusetts, MA All Rights Reserved