Figuratively Speaking: Background checks aid in hiring decisions

Number of background checks for new hires conducted by U.S. employers in 2006: 5.8 million

Percentage of employment screenings in 2007 that turned up criminal record convictions, or “hits,” according to a study conducted by Kroll: 9.5

Ranks of construction, automotive and retail among the industries with the highest criminal record hit ratios in 2007: 1, 2, 3

Ethical encounters

Percentage of Americans employed full time who report encountering ethical lapses on the job, according to research from LRN: 73

Percentage of respondents who encounter ethical lapses who say these incidents happen at least once a week: 37

Percentage of American workers who believe that a current issue at their company could create a scandal or business disruption if it were discovered: 11

Over-exposure

Percentage of surveyed companies that report their business was impacted by the exposure of sensitive or embarrassing information in the last year, according to a study by e-mail security and data loss prevention company Proofpoint Inc.: 26.3

Percentage of companies that investigated a suspected e-mail leak of confidential or proprietary information: 33.8

Percentage of the largest enterprises (20,000 employees or more) that reported that employee e-mail was subpoenaed in the last 12 months: 29.1

Fraud facts

Percentage of certified fraud examiners who feel that corporate deception has increased since 2002, according to the “2007 Oversight Systems Report on Corporate Fraud” released by Oversight Systems: 76

Percentage who have personally observed financial misconduct in the past year: 56

Percentage who identified incidents of expense and reimbursement schemes: 41

Percentage who identified misuse of inventory and noncash assets: 27

Percentage who also cited executives seeking personal gain: 71

Patents pending

Percentage of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 in which foreign nationals residing in the United States were named as inventors or co-inventors, according to a study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: 25.6

Percentage of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 in which the inventor or co-inventor is a person with an Indian-heritage name: 13.7

Percentage of international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 in which the inventor or co-inventor is a person with a Chinese-heritage name: 16.8

Idle Thought

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” —Abraham Lincoln

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His “Figuratively Speaking” column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.[[In-content Ad]]