Criminal record checks are an essential security tool for warehouse environments due to their unique security requirements and the high potential for internal theft and negligence.
Here is a breakdown of why criminal record tools are crucial for warehouse security and how they should be applied:
I. The Unique Security Need of Warehouses
Warehouses are vital distribution centers that handle a high volume of goods, making them a specialized environment with numerous security concerns. Criminal record tools are the only way to ensure these security requirements are met and to protect the company’s profitability.
II. Applying Criminal Record Checks: Top-Down and Employees
Management Team
Managers represent one of the single largest potential threats. They may participate in or instigate theft rings, turn a blind eye, or allow items to be stolen (“fall off the truck”). Criminal records ensure the management team is sound and trustworthy, preventing increased operational costs, profit reduction, and the resulting need to raise prices or cut employee benefits.
New Employees
Employees are responsible for the vast majority of theft in a warehouse environment. Checks reveal criminal history, including charges for theft, petty larceny, and negligence by previous employers. A full background check can also reveal financial instability (e.g., “credit is shot”), which may flag a potential security risk.
III. The Value of Ongoing Checks
Performing ongoing criminal record checks on existing employees.
- Catching New Issues: Employees may encounter serious legal problems or incur new criminal charges without the employer’s knowledge, which could change the employer’s opinion of them.
- Vetting for Promotion: This is an invaluable tool to ensure management promotes the right people and to “weed out any undesirable elements” that might have slipped through the initial hiring process.
IV. Addressing Loss Beyond Theft (Damage and Negligence)
Criminal record and background checks help reduce loss stemming from negligence, not just outright theft.
- Negligent Employees: Employees who do not take care with items can cause damage, making the inventory unsalable. If damaged on-site, the company “has to eat the cost.”
- Identifying Negligence: While not outright theft, a background check can reveal charges of negligence pressed by previous employers or information about an employee being reprimanded for willful property damage.
V. Recommended Method for Conducting Checks
The most expedient and thorough method for obtaining criminal records is through online criminal record tools, rather than the traditional method of relying on a local sheriff’s office.
- Benefit of Online Tools: They provide instant access to national criminal records, overcoming the drawback of only being able to verify a person’s criminal record for the local area, which is vital given the number of people who relocate each year.
