A recent incident in Milwaukee involving the shooting death of a Walgreen’s customer by an illegally armed security guard heightens the awareness employers must have for proper background and reference checks. While Walgreen's outsourced the staffing of security personnel, which adds a layer of complexity to the issue, it nonetheless underscores the importance of knowing who is providing services to you as an employer as well as conducting thorough background checks.

JS Online: "Guard Arrested in Man's Death".

Unfortunately, there are many examples where employers fail to get complete background information on candidates. While employers should be concerned about the ramifications of negligent hiring, there are still other (and perhaps less drastic) consequences of not having complete references on candidates. Employers concerned with staffing the best possible candidates and improving retention should be incorporating effective reference checking into their overall recruiting and staffing process. Going beyond effective interviewing, references can help round out the full picture of a candidate and offer more information with which to make sound hiring decisions.

Find out more about MRA's Reference Checking Services by clicking here or by calling 800-488-4845.