BG Check Company-4 , Employee BG Checks-2 , Pre-Employment Screening-1
Protect Your Assets With Employee Background Checks
There are times of the year it seems everybody is hiring, and with so many qualified people to choose from, it’s imperative to make the right choice. I am in that very situation right now, along with a few of our other stores in the area. We are all looking to fill positions before the holidays get into full swing. Unfortunately, I’m looking for help because the manager before me did not use a quality background check company to vet a guy I just had to help terminate.
There are certain things you can do as a hiring manager. First of all, you do need to check the applicant’s references. (I’ve had someone list a dead man as one of his professional references.) People do overstate their education and enhance their job histories. You can call the college and universities listed to verify the degree they have listed. You could also call their previous employers listed to verify their tenure. I also like to use the web and just do a quick check on their name to make sure nothing wild pops up about them. That said, you can’t find the critical items in a potential employees past. That’s why you need to check into a background check company. A pre-employment screening can save your company a lot of money in the long run. First of all, they offer a more complete check and they will stay in compliance with all local laws and regulations. There are legalities surrounding what you can or can’t look into when conducting employee background checks. I’ve hired someone recently that was from out of state, and she had to provide an additional signed form giving permission to the county courthouse from where she was from to release the information. A good background check company will take care of that extra footwork for you.
The key is getting as much information about the applicant as possible to make sure you make the right choice. You not only want to pick the best person for the job opening; you also don’t want to let the right person get away by picking the wrong one. People can have excellent interview skills and make themselves look like amazing candidates. Then you hire them and it’s you that’s the biggest loser. The manager before me hired a guy from a job fair. He talked a good game and claimed to have had an extensive and grand work history. The former manager called the references he had listed and bought the guy’s stories hook, line, and sinker. Amazingly, he failed to get a thorough pre-employment screening and I ended up firing the guy for stealing pain pills. It didn’t stop there. A couple days later we found ourselves in the office with representatives from the DEA and board of pharmacy. I can tell you that was not a fun time, and not a conversation I want to be part of again. One by one they called all the other technicians to the office to take statements and give them the third degree. This is just another good example of why employee background checks are so very important. Save yourself the time and money and invest in a reputable background check company. In work environments where your staff works with prescription drugs, sensitive documents or records, and certain groups of people like the elderly or children, employee background checks are not negotiable. Your company can be held liable for any harm or damages caused by an employee with a criminal record.
For more information on Background Checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
There are times of the year it seems everybody is hiring, and with so many qualified people to choose from, it’s imperative to make the right choice. I am in that very situation right now, along with a few of our other stores in the area. Unfortunately, I’m looking for help because the manager before me did not use a quality background check company to vet a guy I just had to help terminate.
There are certain things you can do as a hiring manager. First of all, you do need to check the applicant’s references. (I’ve had someone list a dead man as one of his professional references.) People do overstate their education and enhance their job histories. You can call the college and universities listed to verify the degree they have listed. You could also call their previous employers listed to verify their tenure. I also like to use the web and just do a quick check on their name to make sure nothing wild pops up about them. That said, you can’t find the critical items in a potential employees past. That’s why you need to check into a background check company. A pre-employment screening can save your company a lot of money in the long run. First of all, they offer a more complete check and they will stay in compliance with all local laws and regulations. There are legalities surrounding what you can or can’t look into when conducting employee background checks. I’ve hired someone recently that was from out of state, and she had to provide an additional signed form giving permission to the county courthouse from where she was from to release the information. A good background check company will take care of that extra footwork for you.
The key is getting as much information about the applicant as possible to make sure you make the right choice. You not only want to pick the best person for the job opening; you also don’t want to let the right person get away by picking the wrong one. People can have excellent interview skills and make themselves look like amazing candidates. Then you hire them and it’s you that’s the biggest loser. The manager before me hired a guy from a job fair. He talked a good game and claimed to have had an extensive and grand work history. The former manager called the references he had listed and bought the guy’s stories hook, line, and sinker. Amazingly, he failed to get a thorough pre-employment screening and I ended up firing the guy for stealing pain pills. It didn’t stop there. A couple days later we found ourselves in the office with representatives from the DEA and board of pharmacy. I can tell you that was not a fun time, and not a conversation I want to be part of again. One by one they called all the other technicians to the office to take statements and give them the third degree. This is just another good example of why employee background checks are so very important. Save yourself the time and money and invest in a reputable background check company. In work environments where your staff works with prescription drugs, sensitive documents or records, and certain groups of people like the elderly or children, employee background checks are not negotiable. Your company can be held liable for any harm or damages caused by an employee with a criminal record.
For more information on Background Checks, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Liquor bottle security-4 WC blog 12
Alpha Security-4
bottle locks-5
Bottle Loss Got You Blue? Battle Back With Bottle Locks
In a June 6 , 2015 Washington post story, a man stole nearly $2,000 worth of alcohol in under 8 minutes from a liquor store. July 8, 2015 Jackson Hole News & Guide had story on a man who stole 3 bottles of top shelf liquor, “Grey Goose” (price range $20 – $60 a bottle). Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania in an April 21, 2014 story reported on a distributor in Wray, Washington State that installed locking cabinets due to thefts they were experiencing of $800 – $1,000 a week. As I considered the last story, I wanted to tell the store owner, there are alternatives to a locking cabinet! Did you even consider looking into liquor bottle security products?
Alpha Security products offer bottle locks that are easy to install and remove for a retailer and provide a deterrent to shoplifting. Locks can come in adjustable bottle collars, “Steel Grip” collars with a metal band, clear bottle caps that permit viewing of labels, as well as other designs. The removal of the lock at the point of sale is easy and will not significantly add to the time of checkout. Business owners are well aware that in today’s fast paced world of mobile technology, and immediate accessibility, customers do not want to be slowed down in a checkout line.
How important is it for a business to consider using Alpha Security products? Consider this, according to the 2014 Global Retail Theft Barometer, retail shortage in North America equated to 1.48% of sales. In 2014 38% of shortage was attributable to shoplifting. The report also states that one of the most stolen categories of merchandise overall is wine and spirits and not only that, in the grocery category it is the number one shortage item. When employee theft is added to the equation, over 65% of shortage incurred by retailers is due to theft! What would it mean to your bottom line if you could reduce your losses by well over 50%? How much could you reduce that amount simply by using liquor bottle security in your store?
Recently I was in a major retail store and I was curious to see what kind of Alpha Security devices, if any, they were using. I was shocked to see that despite carrying wines and champagnes ranging in price from $10 to $60 a bottle, there were no bottle locks on any of the products. Knowing that this retailer uses Alpha Security devices on other items to decrease the opportunity for theft, I was surprised to see no steps had been taken in regard to bottle security. If a big box retailer fails to protect their wine section what are smaller liquor stores doing to prevent theft?
If the stories I referred to in the beginning of this article are any indicator, it would seem liquor stores may be taking the wrong steps or worse no steps at all to protect product. Liquor bottle security does not mean putting everything under lock and key, bottle locks are a far better solution. Lock- up cases requires an associate to be readily available with a key. Customers don’t like to wait for service and if you operate a smaller store, you may not have the staff to run a register and open showcases for multiple patrons. When customers feel they are going to have to wait for a long time, whether or not they really will, those customers will go elsewhere. Your merchandise may be protected, but if you aren’t selling anything then what’s the point?
Liquor bottle security is a problem that can be solved without hindering your honest customers. Using bottle locks permits the customer to select merchandise and take what they want to the register. You have the peace of mind knowing that the locks are extremely difficult to tamper with and can work with an EAS system if you have one installed. You don’t need to go to extremes to prevent shortage, just use bottle locks.
For more information about bottle locks contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
In a June 6 , 2015 Washington post story, a man stole nearly $2,000 worth of alcohol in under 8 minutes from a liquor store. July 8, 2015 Jackson Hole News & Guide had story on a man who stole 3 bottles of top shelf liquor, “Grey Goose” (price range $20 – $60 a bottle). Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania in an April 21, 2014 story reported on a distributor in Wray, Washington State that installed locking cabinets due to thefts they were experiencing of $800 – $1,000 a week. As I considered the last story, I wanted to tell the store owner, there are alternatives to a locking cabinet! Did you even consider looking into liquor bottle security products?
Alpha Security products offer bottle locks that are easy to install and remove for a retailer and provide a deterrent to shoplifting. Locks can come in adjustable bottle collars, “Steel Grip” collars with a metal band, clear bottle caps that permit viewing of labels, as well as other designs. The removal of the lock at the point of sale is easy and will not significantly add to the time of checkout. Business owners are well aware that in today’s fast paced world of mobile technology, and immediate accessibility, customers do not want to be slowed down in a checkout line.
How important is it for a business to consider using Alpha Security products? Consider this, according to the 2014 Global Retail Theft Barometer, retail shortage in North America equated to 1.48% of sales. In 2014 38% of shortage was attributable to shoplifting. The report also states that one of the most stolen categories of merchandise overall is wine and spirits and not only that, in the grocery category it is the number one shortage item. When employee theft is added to the equation, over 65% of shortage incurred by retailers is due to theft! What would it mean to your bottom line if you could reduce your losses by well over 50%? How much could you reduce that amount simply by using liquor bottle security in your store?
Recently I was in a major retail store and I was curious to see what kind of Alpha Security devices, if any, they were using. I was shocked to see that despite carrying wines and champagnes ranging in price from $10 to $60 a bottle, there were no bottle locks on any of the products. Knowing that this retailer uses Alpha Security devices on other items to decrease the opportunity for theft, I was surprised to see no steps had been taken in regard to bottle security. If a big box retailer fails to protect their wine section what are smaller liquor stores doing to prevent theft?
If the stories I referred to in the beginning of this article are any indicator, it would seem liquor stores may be taking the wrong steps or worse no steps at all to protect product. Liquor bottle security does not mean putting everything under lock and key, bottle locks are a far better solution. Lock- up cases requires an associate to be readily available with a key. Customers don’t like to wait for service and if you operate a smaller store, you may not have the staff to run a register and open showcases for multiple patrons. When customers feel they are going to have to wait for a long time, whether or not they really will, those customers will go elsewhere. Your merchandise may be protected, but if you aren’t selling anything then what’s the point?
Liquor bottle security is a problem that can be solved without hindering your honest customers. Using bottle locks permits the customer to select merchandise and take what they want to the register. You have the peace of mind knowing that the locks are extremely difficult to tamper with and can work with an EAS system if you have one installed. You don’t need to go to extremes to prevent shortage, just use bottle locks.
For more information about bottle locks contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Alpha Thunder Tag-4 WC blog 39
Classic N10-3
The High Price Of Health Care Mobile Device Theft
What is the cost to a medical facility for having a mobile device or portable laptop with patient information lost or stolen? Can a price tag be placed on privacy? The United States Department of Health and Human Services can and does put a price tag on security breaches. According to DHHS documents on their website, on October 11, 2011, Lahey Clinical Hospital, Inc. reported a breach of its unsecured electronic protected health information (“ePHI”) when a laptop containing information of 599 patients was stolen from their radiology department. According to the website, this breach cost Lahey $850,000 in fines. In a separate incident, a stolen laptop from the car of an employee who worked for Cancer Care Group resulted in a $750,000 fine for the company. The stolen laptop reportedly did not contain “ePHI” data, but a “computer server backup media”, apparently in the same laptop bag contained the “ePHI” of approximately 55,000 individuals. In both of these cases, the complaints stated the companies failed to conduct thorough risk assessment for vulnerabilities in relation to “ePHI”. Two incidents cost over 1.5 Million dollars in fines. Could these fines have been avoided? It is very possible they could have, had the companies had a comprehensive security plan in place that included Alpha Thunder Tags and the Classic N10 antenna.
It is important to be proactive and create a plan before an i-pad, tablet theft, or laptop theft occurs. What are some steps your company can take to protect information?
• Ensure you have secure areas inaccessible to the public. You may even want to use pass code enabled door locks to prevent unauthorized entry. It is in these areas your mobile devices should be secured when not in use.
• Be sure all of your mobile devices are encrypted. While a hacker may be able to eventually get through encryption, it is difficult and time consuming.
• Number all laptops and devices and require an audit of the devices at the end of the day to ensure they are accounted for.
• Require all devices be signed for before being checked out for use. Signing for something tends to make people feel more accountable for something and it does make it easier to track if a device is out when an audit is conducted.
• Secure all devices with an Alpha Thunder Tag. The Thunder Tag will set off an electronic article surveillance system if someone were to attempt to exit the building with it.
• Install the Classic N10 antenna at ALL entrance and exit points. Even if it is a staff only entrance/exit, it will help detect if someone accidentally attempts to leave with a device.
• If External hard drives are used for data storage, be sure these are protected and accounted for in the same manner as your laptops and mobile devices.
• Use the S3 Locking Counter Key for removing the Alpha Thunder Tag if it has to leave the building for some reason, such as a repair. The counter key can be secured to a counter and the key locked to the base when not in use, preventing someone from removing an Alpha Thunder Tag from a mobile device.
Concerned your office space is too small for an EAS antenna? The Classic N10 is designed specifically for smaller entrances or lobby areas. The space requirement for this antenna is far less than the traditional models and will not detract from the small practice that has minimal waiting room space. This antenna will provide the same protection afforded by the larger models so you won’t have to be concerned about whether or not it would detect a device being removed from the office.
Mobile devices and laptops are leading to major improvements in providing improved patient healthcare. Better accuracy in data entry, faster access to medical records, the ability for real-time patient consultations between healthcare providers are some of the benefits to the industry. The opportunity for security compromise is the flip side of the equation. Don’t allow your practice to be the object of a huge DHHS fine. Consult with Checkpoint experts to see what protections including Alpha Thunder Tags they may have that can secure your mobile devices from theft and loss.
For more information on Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
What is the cost to a medical facility for having a mobile device or portable laptop with patient information lost or stolen? Can a price tag be placed on privacy? The United States Department of Health and Human Services can and does put a price tag on security breaches. According to DHHS documents on their website, on October 11, 2011, Lahey Clinical Hospital, Inc. reported a breach of its unsecured electronic protected health information (“ePHI”) when a laptop containing information of 599 patients was stolen from their radiology department. According to the website, this breach cost Lahey $850,000 in fines. In a separate incident, a stolen laptop from the car of an employee who worked for Cancer Care Group resulted in a $750,000 fine for the company. The stolen laptop reportedly did not contain “ePHI” data, but a “computer server backup media”, apparently in the same laptop bag contained the “ePHI” of approximately 55,000 individuals. In both of these cases, the complaints stated the companies failed to conduct thorough risk assessment for vulnerabilities in relation to “ePHI”. Two incidents cost over 1.5 Million dollars in fines. Could these fines have been avoided? It is very possible they could have, had the companies had a comprehensive security plan in place that included Alpha Thunder Tags and the Classic N10 antenna.
It is important to be proactive and create a plan before an i-pad, tablet theft, or laptop theft occurs. What are some steps your company can take to protect information?
• Ensure you have secure areas inaccessible to the public. You may even want to use pass code enabled door locks to prevent unauthorized entry. It is in these areas your mobile devices should be secured when not in use.
• Be sure all of your mobile devices are encrypted. While a hacker may be able to eventually get through encryption, it is difficult and time consuming.
• Number all laptops and devices and require an audit of the devices at the end of the day to ensure they are accounted for.
• Require all devices be signed for before being checked out for use. Signing for something tends to make people feel more accountable for something and it does make it easier to track if a device is out when an audit is conducted.
• Secure all devices with an Alpha Thunder Tag. The Thunder Tag will set off an electronic article surveillance system if someone were to attempt to exit the building with it.
• Install the Classic N10 antenna at ALL entrance and exit points. Even if it is a staff only entrance/exit, it will help detect if someone accidentally attempts to leave with a device.
• If External hard drives are used for data storage, be sure these are protected and accounted for in the same manner as your laptops and mobile devices.
• Use the S3 Locking Counter Key for removing the Alpha Thunder Tag if it has to leave the building for some reason, such as a repair. The counter key can be secured to a counter and the key locked to the base when not in use, preventing someone from removing an Alpha Thunder Tag from a mobile device.
Concerned your office space is too small for an EAS antenna? The Classic N10 is designed specifically for smaller entrances or lobby areas. The space requirement for this antenna is far less than the traditional models and will not detract from the small practice that has minimal waiting room space. This antenna will provide the same protection afforded by the larger models so you won’t have to be concerned about whether or not it would detect a device being removed from the office.
Mobile devices and laptops are leading to major improvements in providing improved patient healthcare. Better accuracy in data entry, faster access to medical records, the ability for real-time patient consultations between healthcare providers are some of the benefits to the industry. The opportunity for security compromise is the flip side of the equation. Don’t allow your practice to be the object of a huge DHHS fine. Consult with Checkpoint experts to see what protections including Alpha Thunder Tags they may have that can secure your mobile devices from theft and loss.
For more information on Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
