Human Resources by the Numbers

Sometimes words can't do justice to the story of pre-employment screening. The statistics below describe, in further detail, the kinds of workplace risks HireRight's screening services will help you avoid.

False Information

• 9% of job applicants falsely claimed they had a college degree, listed false employers, or identified jobs that didn't exist.
  *Source: Resume Inflation: Two Wrongs May Mean No Rights, by Barbara Kat Repa, Nolo.com, 8/801
• 34% of all application forms contain outright lies about experience, education, and ability to perform essential functions on the job.
  *Source: Wall Street Journal
• 11% of job applicants misrepresented why they left a former employer.
  *Source: Resume Inflation: Two Wrongs May Mean No Rights, by Barbara Kat Repa, Nolo.com, 8/801
• Nearly one-third of job applicants listed dates of employment that were inaccurate by more than three months.
  *Source: Resume Inflation: Two Wrongs May Mean No Rights, by Barbara Kat Repa, Nolo.com, 8/801
• As many as 30% of jobseekers exaggerate their accomplishments, and about 10% "seriously misrepresent" their background.
  *Source: The Complete Reference Checking Book, by Edward C. Adler

On-The-Job Violence

• On-the-job violence costs employers $36 billion each year.
  *Source: Workplace Violence Research Institute
• The average award in a workplace violence lawsuit exceeds $1 million per case.
  *Source: Workplace Violence Research Institute
• Workplace violence is the foremost concern of corporate security directors at Fortune 1000 companies. Other top concerns include employee selection and screening concerns, fraud and white-collar crime, theft, drugs and alcohol in the workplace, and unethical business practices.
  *Source: Pinkerton, Top Security Threats, Year 2000 Survey
• In May of 1999, an estimated 16,400 threats were made, 723 workers were attacked and 43,800 were harassed every work day.
  *Source: The Workplace Violence Research Institute
• 57% of respondents reported that a violent incident occurred in their workplace between 1/95 and 7/99.
  *Source: Society of Human Resource Management, Workplace Violence Study, 1999

Drugs

• One in six workers has a drug problem.
  *Source: Don't Hire A Crook, Dennis DeMay and James R. Flowers Jr., 1999 Facts on Demand Press, pg. 90
• 87% of major US firms now test employees, job applicants, or both, for drug use.
  * Source: Don't Hire A Crook, Dennis DeMay and James R. Flowers Jr., 1999 Facts on Demand Press, pg. 90

Employee Theft

• 30% of all business failures are caused by employee theft.
  *Source: American Management Association and US Chamber of Commerce
• 14.7% of all applicants admit to theft of merchandise from an employer.
  *Source: Reid Psychological Systems (Don't Hire a Crook, Dennis DeMay; James R. Flowers, Jr., 1999 Facts on Demand Press, pg. 88)
• 4.4% of all applicants admit to theft of cash from an employer.
  *Source: Reid Psychological Systems (Don't Hire a Crook, Dennis DeMay; James R. Flowers, Jr., 1999 Facts on Demand Press, pg. 88)
• 33% of all applicants admit to being tempted to steal from an employer.
  *Source: Security Magazine, 3/97

Bad Hires

• It costs $7,000 to replace a salaried employee, $10,000 to replace a mid-level employee, and $40,000 to replace a senior executive.
  *Source: Recruiting Times
• In 1999, employers lost 60% of negligent hiring/supervision jury trials.
  *Source: The Reish & Luftman Practical Guide to Employment Law
• On average, in U.S. businesses, at least half of all new hires "don't work out."
  *Source: Fortune, 2/00