Holiday hiring

AP Photo/The Tennessean, John Partipilo

While shopping for Halloween candy there were little hints of the approaching Christmas shopping season. Decorations were starting to go up and products dressed in their Christmas best were hitting the shelves. As Thanksgiving approaches, the stores are in their full decorative gala, sales are being announced and the poor mailman has begun carrying around the extra poundage of catalogs.

In addition to decorations and stocking the shelves, retailers have begun adding thousands to the holiday workforce. Although most of the holiday help will be temporary, businesses should not divert from their hiring policies, nor take shortcuts on the quality of employee or background screening.

Retailers have to consider their obligations in keeping customers safe while protecting their business. The National Labor Relations Board has ruled in favor of customers that were injured on a retailer’s property, when it was found that security cameras were not properly monitored. The National Retail Federation released a survey in 2011 that illustrates the importance of employee background screenings in keeping customers safe. “Nearly all retailers (97%) utilize background screening in some form during the hiring process. Background screenings help retailers ensure the safety of both shoppers and employees”.

Hopefully, your business will thrive during the holiday season. You shouldn’t jeopardize profits by sloppy hiring practices.

Have a prosperous and safe holiday shopping season.

If your own a local business, don’t forget to promote Small Business Saturday, which is November 24^th. Shoppers-Please support your local small businesses.