NCJ Number
100087
Journal
Security Management Volume: 29 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1985) Pages: 24-30
Date Published
1985
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines (1) corporate legal liability for criminal misdeeds of its employees when the company has not exercised 'reasonable care' in the hiring process and (2) testing methods to improve the hiring process.
Abstract
Several cases are described where courts found companies liable for an employee's act of theft or assault and awarded damages to the victim. After noting that such business liability suits and the amount of damages awarded are rising, discussion focuses on common law and legal theories underlying these cases with illustrative examples. Doctrines examined include a duty of reasonable care and 'respondeat superior.' It is recommended that employers look beyond normal techniques used to hire employees such as interviews and reference checking to pencil-and-paper testing which can not only assess a person's proneness to theft and violence but also can be highly predictive of future job success. Suggestions on selecting psychological tests are included.