Do You Background Check Your Retail Employees?
You should—it will bring more customers to your stores. In fact, most (67%) Americans say they’re more likely to shop at retail stores where employees have been background checked than at stores that don’t background check their staff. Plus, 49% report if they learned a store they shop at doesn’t background check all their workers, they would be less likely to go back to that store.
The 2019 Retail Industry Screening Survey was recently released by Sterling, a leader in background and identity services. The inaugural initiative examines Americans’ perspectives, experiences and concerns related to retail screening—covering topics from customer service to holiday shopping to cannabis screening.
“A comprehensive screening program will help find top talent and reduce employee turnover, as employers are looking for long-term workers and focused on developing new hires into managers and leaders,” says Vincenza Caruso-Valente, General Manager, Sterling.
The study also found:
- Marijuana testing: 65% of Americans say drug testing retail workers for cannabis is not necessary.
- Holiday shopping: 53% say during the holiday season, they think retail workers tend to be of lower quality than they are during other times of year.
- Service: 81% say when deciding what retailer to shop at in person, they factor in a retailer’s quality of customer service.
Caruso-Valente says, “For retailers, maintaining a robust and consistent hiring process is paramount, and helps attract strong talent that can be retained and redeployed. Retailers also benefit from recruiting their talent through technology-enabled solutions. A healthy hiring program will cultivate a strong culture—and brand—of customer service.”
The report can be found here.
Shutterstock photo of background checks by HBRH
