Wal-Mart Background Checks

(via Always Low Prices) Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced today a plan to perform criminal background checks on all new applicants for employment. The program starts with Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in the Midwest in September and then expands nationally.

Of course this plan is a good idea but one wonders what type of review will be performed to check on existing workers, estimated at 1.5 million as of 1/31/04. With that size of a workforce, I'm sure they have a crook or two worth weeding out.

Also, don't be surprised if some leftist do-gooder outfit protests because the program is unfair.

I must mention that I have personal experience with soup-to-nuts employee background verification projects and the results were primarily astonishment. Virtually everyone involved with the process was astonished by the not insignificant number of people who presented applications and resumes that were largely or total fiction. Fortunately, the majority of workers were fairly honest, although a tendency to fudge on information about experience and qualifications was noticed.