LexisNexis Executive Authors Book on Background Screening Best Practices

LexisNexis Risk and Information Analytics Group recently announced the publication of Background Screening and Investigations: Managing Hiring Risk from the HR and Security Perspectives (Elsevier Inc.; 2008), by Kim Kerr, vice president and general manager of LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group, Screening Solutions and W. Barry Nixon, an industry expert in human resources and organizational development. In the book, Kerr, a leading expert in background screening, and Nixon examine leading practices in background screening and how to best prevent risky hiring decisions, poor employee retention, and workplace violence.

According to the Society of Human Resource Managers more than 30% of all job applicants provide false information on their resumes.  The failure to screen effectively can contribute to significant negative consequences including:

- $55 million in lost wages and exponentially more in additional costs stemming from the more than 2 million instances of workplace violence per year.
- Retail losses due to employee theft estimated at over $30 billion annually.
- Losses due to employee theft of intellectual property that exceeded $50 billion in 2001.

While all employers must accept risk when forming business relationships, the degree of risk, whether it be high, low, or somewhere in the middle, is determined by the efficiency and effectiveness of the hiring model.  Employment background screening, both pre- and post-hire, gives hiring personnel a glimpse into a person’s past behavior patterns, propensities, and likely future behavior.

Background Screening and Investigations provides risk-mitigation strategies that can significantly lower the likelihood of a negative outcome. The book draws upon the experience of Kerr and Nixon to provide readers with a blueprint for combining the skills of both security and human resources professionals in order to negotiate legal hurdles and implement best practices in background screening.  The book also describes all aspects of the background screening process – its history and evolution, the imperative for implementing a screening process, and how to create a comprehensive policy.

Drawing on 30 years of experience, LexisNexis Risk and Information Analytics Group is a leader in the information industry that provides critical business decision-making data. The company’s screening solutions leverage proprietary technology, including advanced data linking capabilities, to deliver fast, affordable application verification – providing employers with the tools, and the up-to-date, comprehensive information they need to make informed hiring decisions, or conduct deeper and more refined background checks.

About the Authors
Kim M. Kerr is vice president and general manager of LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group, Screening Solutions. In his current role, Kerr leads the Screening Solutions group in assisting and collaborating with various corporations and businesses to create screening policies and practices. Previously, Kim spent 28 years with AT&T serving as an area manager in corporate security. Under AT&T’s sponsorship, Kim played a vital role in the successful security operations of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and went on to support the security efforts of both the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sidney, Australia, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

W. Barry Nixon, SPHR is the Executive Director of the National Institute for Prevention of Workplace Violence, Inc., a company focused on assisting organizations to effectively implement programs to prevent workplace violence. He has over twenty years of human resources and organization development experience in Fortune 500 companies, and is well grounded in the real issues companies face.

About LexisNexis
LexisNexis (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leading global provider of business information solutions to a wide range of professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets. LexisNexis originally pioneered online information with its Lexis and Nexis services. A member of Reed Elsevier, LexisNexis serves customers in more than 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide.

About LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group
LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group is a natural extension of the core competencies and technologies proven in the LexisNexis online products from the past 30 years. The LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group builds on the LexisNexis tradition as a trusted provider and custodian of quality information, and leverages new cutting-edge technology, unique data and advanced scoring analytics to create total solutions to address client needs.

LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group is specifically designed to serve the multi-billion dollar risk information industry which is comprised of professionals and organizations such as law enforcement, government agencies, financial services firms, collection agencies, insurance and health care providers, hiring managers, and other professionals.