Dealers Who Screen Find Barrel's Bad Apples

    CHATSWORTH, Calif.--Feb. 1, 2001--The results of a study released Thursday indicate auto dealerships may be more at risk for bad hires than employers in other industries.
    Statistics showed 14.2 percent or about 1 in 7 applications submitted for screening by dealerships turned up criminal records, whether felony or misdemeanor offenses. The findings come from an internal study conducted specifically on auto dealerships by InfoLink Screening Services Inc., a nationwide background-screening firm located in Chatsworth.
    The study addressed 21 randomly selected dealerships and almost 1,500 screening requests.
    Dealers using the background-screening service had expressed suspicions that dealerships attract not only a percentage of typical offenders, but those prone to auto-related crimes as well. Lending credence to this concern were numbers showing that of the 14.2 percent with prior convictions, 5.7 percent had directly auto-related crimes.
    Almost one-third of the auto-related convictions were for DUI (driving under the influence), while 20 percent were for driving without a license. Another 18 percent had suspended licenses, or were caught driving on a suspended license.
    Other offenses included reckless driving (13 percent), hit and run (5 percent), carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle (2 percent) and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent (2 percent).
    The remaining 8.5 percent of the total had non-auto-related convictions which nevertheless reflected on the individual's character and were potentially serious enough to deny employment. Chief among these were alcohol and narcotics offenses (18.9 percent), fraud and theft (18 percent) and battery or assault (17.2 percent).
    Before denying employment employers by law must take into consideration the seriousness of the offense, the time passed since it has occurred and the position applied for. Applicants can challenge denials of employment for a criminal offense unless the employer can clearly show that the offense is work related.
    In some cases an employer may choose to argue that "character" is work related and a sufficient justification for denying employment. However, applicants often disqualify themselves by concealing past convictions on their employment application which are then uncovered during background screening by a professional consumer reporting agency.
    "Businesses today walk a very fine line," stated Barry Nadell, president and co-founder of InfoLink Screening Services.
    "They can be held legally accountable for negligence in hiring, but can be sued as well under EEOC guidelines for disparate treatment of those with negative backgrounds. Companies must be very precise in their handling of these issues or big penalties can result. This is why more and more dealerships are seeking accurate information from professional background-screening companies."
    The study is one in a series being conducted by InfoLink on specific industries it serves. Results of each study are presented at quarterly client luncheons that aim to resolve industry-specific problems. InfoLink is exhibiting at the Las Vegas NADA Convention, booth no. 2154.

    About InfoLink

    InfoLink provides background screening and drug testing of job applicants and employees nationwide offering excellent service, fast turnaround of information, legal compliance and competitive pricing.
    InfoLink developed its The HIRE Program(R) to provide the latest online technology allowing clients to request background searches, view reports in progress, view completed reports, print reports anytime or store reports online via InfoLink's secure Web site.
    For more information on InfoLink call 818/990-HIRE or 800/990-HIRE (4473) or visit www.infolinkscreening.com.