When you’re about to enter a new business relationship—especially when acquiring a new business partner—it’s imperative to have the full picture when making that decision. However, there can be a myriad of factors that may affect a business relationship that have nothing to do with the business itself, such as problems with substance abuse, compulsive gambling, or a history of violence. Before signing a new partner into the business, the most prudent business owners will invest in a background check for executives to ensure they’re acquiring the best candidate available.
Many business owners may first turn to the internet for a background check for executives, because it is the path of least resistance in a complex corporate world. The internet boasts of dozens of “free” background check sites where reports can be generated on individuals sometimes based on a single piece of information. These types of sites can be very deceiving, not only because most of these sites require that you pay for the full report, but the full report itself can also be extremely lacking in information and in accuracy of the information. The truth is that legitimate background checks cannot be conducted by private citizens. Professional, comprehensive background checks can only be conducted through verified databases that require special license to use. One type of professional licensed to use these databases is a private investigator.
Private investigators, via their licensure through the state, can have access to informational databases that are on par with those used by law enforcement. These databases can give private investigators a cornucopia of facts on a single individual—name, address, phone number, email address, social media, criminal history, litigation history, and in some cases, even other members of their family. Even if a private citizen were able to access these verified databases, the dearth of information that becomes available could be overwhelming and even nonsensical. That’s why having the expertise of a private investigator is so important.
Private investigators have the diverse tools and experience to look at an individual’s background and properly contextualize certain patterns or events. For example, if a subject has a long address history with multiple addresses within a single year, a private investigator may conclude that this is indicative of a history of transience in their private lives. Business owners who are running a background check on executives may decide that this history of transience translates to a lack of accountability and responsibility in the corporate world.
When you’re vetting a new business partner to bring into your corporate sphere, make the investment of a background check for executives. Protect your business by making sure you get the full picture on a prospective partner. If you need a background check for an executive, call Lauth today for a free quote on our background check services. Call 317-951-1100 today or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
The recruitment process is a resource-hungry beast for any business to satiate. It eats up the time of your HR team and departmental leadership, as well as digging deep into company funds. Of course, every human resources director or CEO knows that hiring also represents a vastly rewarding investment—but the process needs to be efficient and the recruitment choices well-informed if that outpouring of resources is going to pay off.
For ambitious contemporary businesses, carrying out background checks is an absolutely crucial step in the screening process. Those who have fallen foul of bad hires will know that these lines of defence can mark the difference between future success and costly corporate investigations. When streamlining the recruitment process, many imagine that background checks are better performed in-house, however, the reasons why outsourcing this form of investigation is a savvy move are compelling. Read on to discover how partnering with Lauth Investigations will help you transform your recruitment process for the better.
Why It Pays to Invest in Pre-Employment Screening
Most of us learn at some point that what we don’t know most definitely can hurt us, but what does this mean for businesses undergoing recruitment? Flawed hiring choices can result in immeasurable cost and damage for corporations, ranging from falling morale and performance through to corporate theft. It also leaves the door open for workplace discrimination, harassment, and malingering—and that’s just scratching the surface.
So, how exactly to background checks safeguard against the risks? Well, you might be shocked to learn that data tells us that almost half of all background checks reveal discrepancies between the credentials provided by candidates and the facts. If what’s been concealed raises a red flag—and of course, the act of concealment in the first place may be enough—then you will be ready and aware, and able to divert away from disaster.
Why Turn To a Private Investigator for Background Checks
Sifting through documentation and reaching out to verify references can mean significant time lost to the schedules of your core team and their primary objectives. Outsourcing these efforts can not only yeild far faster and more cost-efficient results, but it also means gaining access to substantially greater insight.
Licenced private investigators from Lauth Investigations leverage their capacity to access restricted and verified databases, uncovering information about your potential recruits that would otherwise remain obscure. Our skilled investigators deliver a comprehensive review of candidate’s criminal, financial, locational, and litigative history. The result is greater clarity and objectivity, allowing you to eliminate those who might pose a risk, and perceive promising talent without the haze of bias—not to mention, without the risk of later accusation of discrimination.
Finally, choosing to partner with a skilled private and corporate investigations firm means enjoying peace of mind that federal, state, and local regulations in regard to background checks are always met with full compliance. Whether your organization’s operations have traversed state lines, or your candidate’s history has, an investigator fully versed in all aspects of compliance is a strong ally indeed. Background checks from Lauth Investigations are a powerful tool in the protection of companies, non-profit organizations, and private individuals alike. Why not reach out to our team today to see how we can help you safeguard your business and streamline your recruitment process for a stronger footing both tomorrow and beyond.
Without comprehensive background checks on employees, employers don’t know what they don’t know.
What could you be missing as an employer with a business to protect? While it’s true that many employers opt for background checks on employees in their hiring process, not every employer exercises the proper amount of due-diligence in clearing a prospective employee to work. While different job descriptions will demand different levels of due-diligence, and each field will require a different focus within a person’s background, the bottom line is that some employers fail to go the extra mile when searching for the right person for the job.
Background checks for employees are a common-sense investment in the long-term health of your business. Background checks, when conducted thoroughly and properly, can provide invaluable insight into the candidate being considered for employment. Comprehensive background checks for employees reduce turnover, prevent losses, and protects the social ecosystem of the workplace from things like hostile work environments, decreases in productivity, and erosion of profits. When your business model places employees in close contact with customers in a transient capacity—as in employees regularly service different customers every day in close proximity, typically offsite away from official company property—those employers must go the extra mile in securing comprehensive background checks for employees
For a prime example of why companies must invest in comprehensive background checks for employees, look no further than the ride-share company, Uber. By the very nature of its design, ride-sharing is a system that can place both the drivers and their passengers at risk of physical harm. From the beginning of 2018 to the end of 2019, Uber had received more than 6,000 sexual assault complaints against their drivers. That number sheds a powerful light on a disturbing problem within the company’s hiring processes. “At the scale that Uber operates, we’re going to see both the good and the bad that happens in society because we’re operating so many trips every single day,” said Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer. Because the nature of ride-sharing places customers in such close, private quarters with their drivers, the threshold for what the company considers fit to drive must be higher. Though Uber claims to thoroughly vet or otherwise screen each employee before they are hired, thee has been testimony from former Uber drivers who said that they began driving the same day they applied—not nearly enough time for a thorough background check into the driver’s history. This can leave Uber open to various forms of litigation on behalf of the victims, including fines and settlements that will erode profits.
Now imagine the company in question isn’t Uber, a multi-million-dollar corporation. The financial impact of even one lawsuit on behalf of a victim who was assaulted by an employee can be devastating to a small business. When your business model places employees in close personal quarters with customers, it’s imperative that you keep the safety of your customers and your business protected. Lauth investigators are there for our clients when they need comprehensive intelligence on a candidate’s background. We can identify candidates whose background should disqualify them from hire and prevent your business losses in the process. Through our licensure by the state, Lauth has access to nation-wide verified databases. These databases paired with our brand of due-diligence and integrity ensure that our clients are getting the intelligence they need to protect their business. If you need our background check services for your business, call 317-951-1100 for a free quote or visit us online at our website.
A nonprofit background check for supervisory board members is not only prudent in the name of good hiring practice, but also in the name of protecting the nonprofit from toxic leadership that can rot the organization from within. Luckily, a private investigator can provide the intelligence needed for full transparency.
When it comes to nonprofits organizations, knowing who to put in charge is paramount to the organization’s mission. When executives or professionals who serve in a supervisory capacity misbehave, it can have devastating consequences for the organization. From litigation to bad public relations, misconduct has the potential to damage the name of a nonprofit organization for years. That’s why it’s so imperative to run comprehensive, thorough nonprofit background checks on supervisory board members and executives.
United Way recently came under fire in the news after allegations surfaced regarding a hostile work environment. An anonymous letter allegedly authored by former employees of Untied way cited instances of racism, harassment, and nepotism on the part of leadership and failure to act on those abuses by leadership. This ended with a Untied Way board member stepping down after she intimidated one of the alleged authors of the letter.
However isolated individual instances of this type of misconduct may seem, the phenomenon of identifying and curing toxic workplace cultures is becoming more urgent. Corporations and nonprofits alike across the country are starting to take a more comprehensive look at how the internal operations of their entity can manifest in harmful ways. Lack of oversight and accountability are two ways in which toxic work environments flourish. That’s why many charitable organizations are opting for nonprofit background checks on their proposed leadership to ensure that the true mission of the nonprofit remains intact.
Private investigators are ideal professionals to conduct nonprofit background checks. They can review the relevant items on a subject’s background check that might interfere with their ability to supervise a nonprofit, such as criminal history, work history, and litigation history. Private investigators have diverse experience in evaluating human behavior and performing a risk assessment regarding their capacity in a supervisory role. Private investigators are able to place such relevant items in context. For example, a long address history might indicate a history of transience, which can translate to lack of dependability and lack of accountability. However, if the subject was forced to move again and again by virtue of their employment, that is important context that is needed in the investigation summary.
There are obvious items that would appear on a background check for a nonprofit board member that would pique interest, such as criminal history and work history. However, a background check does not have to be limited to what’s on paper in a nonprofit background check. Private investigators are adept in reviewing facts found, but they are also adept in searching for what’s outside the databases. Private investigators can locate and speak with former employers, former supervisors, and former supervisees who have worked with the prospective board member. By getting to the human sources during fact-fining in a nonprofit background check, private investigators can illuminate the professional and personal impact of that person on others. This creates a more transparent picture of how a prospective board member may impact the nonprofit.
An internal investigation of United Way’s internal operations downplayed the allegations proffered by those who authored the letter. However, given the misconduct from board members following the allegations, United Way might invest more in nonprofit background checks going forward. If your organization is experiencing pervasive issues with misconduct, including racism, harassment, and discrimination, call Lauth Investigations International today for a free quote on our corporate culture audit program and learn how you can improve your organization from within.
Corporate Investigations Move to Telecommunications
During COVID-19 Outbreak
COVID-19, or “the corona virus” has already had an
unprecedented effect on the world’s economy in the 21st century.
Millions across the globe are currently practicing self-quarantine or
“social-distancing”, while many workplaces are shutting down in order to
prevent the spread of the virus. While many struggle during this time of social
isolation, internal investigations in corporations and organizations are
experiencing major disruption as well. Corporate investigators can continue to
expect unique challenges with internal investigations, and will have to rely on
telecommunications in order to continue their due-diligence.
Any seasoned investigator will tell you that one of the
greatest challenges with internal investigations is developing rapport with the
human sources in the case. This is usually achieved by face-to-face
interaction, bringing down the witness’ guard, and evaluating everything from
their facial expressions to their body language. With everyone working from
home (or not at all), internal investigators have lost access to face-to-face contact
with those human sources and witnesses. Investigators have transitioned to
conducting crucial interviews over the phone, which may not have as many
drawbacks as you think.
Internal investigations can already by tricky without the benefit of seeing the other person’s face or actions. We’re often told that a person’s actions—not their words—are a good indicator of honest or dishonest accounts of any type of incident. Are they blinking too much, or not enough? Are they touching their face? Are they inexplicably breaking out in sweat or becoming flushed? These are all clues private investigators and corporate investigators consider when determining the veracity of a witness’ story. But can you find the truth from only hearing a person’s voice?
Studies indicate that human beings actually can tell a lot more from a person’s voice than their body language when it comes to gauging their level of honesty. Michael Johnson, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney and CEO of Clear Law Institute, stated “While there are some non-verbal cues to lying, most people don’t know what those are, and sometimes they are the opposite of what you think.” Conducting corporate investigations over the phone doesn’t mean investigators still can’t garner helpful information. Without the distraction of visual stimuli, investigators are able to take detailed notes about a person’s story—the timeline, the verbiage, the tone. Investigators are able to detect inconsistencies in the witness’ story and ask follow-up questions for further context that can benefit the investigation. An interview over the phone also removes any personal biases that an investigator can potentially develop from seeing someone in person with regards to their physical appearance, such as sex, race, and class. The investigator is forced to rely on the information, and is less vulnerable to deception on the part of the witness.
In uncertain times, it feels as though COVID-19 has brought
the entire world to a halt. That’s why investigators must lean into one of
their greatest skills, which is flexibility. Quarantine doesn’t mean that
investigators have to stop their investigations, but they must instead adapt
their existing skillset to ensure that the wheels of progress will continue to
turn—even in crisis.
Sometimes a deal is too good to be true—and sometimes a qualified buyer can be too good to be true.
Lauth Investigations International was contacted by a client who represented a local car dealership. The Subject in this case was a customer who had provided a fake social security number in order to get a better purchase price for a vehicle with no money down. The Subject drove off the car lot with the vehicle in question, and all attempts to contact her for payment following the initial contract were unsuccessful.
The Investigation
After conducting initial interviews and reviewing the contract documents, Lauth began an online search for Subject.
After locating her social media, Lauth was able to pull photos from her accounts that contained images of the vehicle in question. Using EXIF data embedded in the photos, investigators were able to determine where the photo was taken and track the Subject’s movements. The Subject was moving from state to state, which made it difficult for the dealership to find her. Subject had a history in vehicle theft was certainly a risk at the time of the contract.
The Solution
Using the GPS location information included in the EXIF data, the investigator was able to locate the vehicle and take possession.
Vehicle was returned to the client and was traded to another dealership. Lauth recommended the dealership improve their verification process regarding sensitive customer information.
