Erroneous Report Costs Job

[Loretta R. Payson]

Lately, unemployment seems to grow at large because of the country’s recession problem. Due to the economic crisis affecting not only the states but all around the world, companies are cutting down on their costs. However, even before the country’s problem, there had already been an estimate of 10 Americans losing their jobs every day. This doesn’t concern the economic issue. According to one survey, out of the 10 people who lost their job, 3 of them lost it because of an unfavorable background check report. Yet, 1 out of the 3 is most likely a victim of an erroneous report. Most of the time, the criminal background check report is the cause. Bundled in a background check package common on employments includes this criminal background report where it shows information necessary for the requirement of the employer.

However, there are times where these records are inaccurate. Criminal background checks may be a necessity but it doesn’t mean it should affect the applicant so much. There are cases where job descriptions don’t always imply the need for this type of record. Most often, professions such as those that would put an individual in contact with children, and public positions are the ones that require, as much as possible, a clean slate on criminal background records. Expunge cases are usually misunderstood. These are criminal records that are considered legally erased. But then again, there still are incidents where records aren’t updated devotedly therefore, come the collection of it, the requester gets the wrong record, and the poor individual being investigated gets fired for the wrong information. Definitely, being terminated with false accusations could heat up anybody’s ego.

There are different bases as to which or how a case becomes expunged. This of course, still depends on what the state follows. On most standards, convictions that happened and had been served seven years ago and back should no longer be included in a backgroundcheck report. Pardons are also considered as expunge record, therefore resetting his record to zero. The usual mistakes with regards to erroneous criminal records come from third party investigators that had already kept their own set of government copies but failed to update them. For these cases, the victim can appeal and file a correction therefore preventing an employer from firing or turning down an applicant or employee. The lesson here is that employers or anyone of us shouldn’t judge easily unless proven otherwise. Background check should be used as a means to gather informative significant data about a person, to learn more and know the individual better, and not be used just because you wish to find something foul about that being.