With 60 % of all new businesses failing to make it past the first year, everybody knows that risk taking is an integral part of running a business. Taking steps to ensure that such risks are measured takes an even greater importance when considering that if 1 an every 4 businesses fail in the first year, the figure reaches court records proportions over the course of 5 years when it becomes 3 out of 5!
But whilst every business owner is usually fully aware of the above figures few realize that other internal factors, as related to the very nature of their specific business can dramatically add to the risk factor.
Not only do businesses have to have things right when it comes to their assessment and consideration of risks emanating from outside forces, but often times little consideration is given to the fact that workers or employees may be a risk themselves if for example they drive cars for the company or operator heavy equipment or machinery.
The truth is businesses are at risk as soon as there are interactions between customers and employees, particularly when these employees make mistakes which can then have negative influence on various levels. This added risk thus expands beyond the confines of the company’s premises into customers’ homes etc
Indeed in such instances, a single mistake, a bad decision, a poor judgment can have dire consequences as well as raising liability insurance premiums to a level that the company might find difficult to cope with.
In other words, one employee’s actions can have damaging consequences for the company in terms of reputation and eventual cost of a litigation process.
Of course, mistakes do happen and steps can and indeed must be taken to try and make sure they do not happen in the first place.
Business owners must therefore ensure that only the right people are employed so that should a mistake be made, it is not made by an employee with court records showing a less than desirable employment history or worse.
There is always an element of unease when talking about the subject of court records. After all we live in a free society where the privacy of all us is something we should all be proud of, and thus whenever the issue of background check is raised there is a sense of guilt or discomfort show casing everyone desire to stay out of other people’s businesses.
And as we live in litigation’s world where large sums of money are rendered in compensation by courts all over the nation, the responsibility of a business owner lies not with the need to preserve the privacy of potential employees but rather with the absolute necessity to discover every thing there is, before it is too late!
By all means, individual liberties should be protected at all costs but when other employees stand to lose their jobs because of the actions of one careless worker with a checkered history then obtaining court records on all prospective employees is the very least a business owner should do to protect his business and the job security of the other employees.