Integrity & Aptitude Assessments: The Science

Integrity testing involves a series of questions, some similar in nature to others, that simply asks a person to select from options or provide a written description of their personal use in the past, regarding issues such as use of drugs or alcohol on the job, theft from employers, general attitude toward employers, etc. Many people feel uncomfortable asking job applicants these types of questions, and it is even more difficult to assure we remember to ask every applicant the same questions, in the same way, and evaluate their responses objectively. Should we fail, it could be considered discriminatory. Thus allowing the Online Integrity Test to provide the much needed information when evaluating personnel.

With regards to theft…

High-quality integrity assessments are a valid, convenient, economical, accurate, free from adverse impact, and typically noninvasive tool. Specifically, they are more economical and convenient than other screening. As the science of psychometrics has advanced, the assessments have become increasingly accurate in predicting the work performance they are designed to identify. These tests have demonstrated the ability to select applicants without discriminating against protected groups. This freedom from adverse impact is in contrast to most other traditional screening techniques such as interviews, intelligence tests, and records checks, which research and recent court decisions have shown to at times be discriminatory.

Another important reason written integrity tests are becoming more popular is that the problems they are designed to address are large and growing rapidly. Consider the following:

• According to the National Business Crime Information Network, American businesses lost more than $200 billion in to cash and merchandise thefts committed by employees.
• The US Department of Commerce estimates that all forms of tangible theft add between 5 percent and 15 percent to customer retail prices.
• The Department of Justice estimates insider theft is growing at 15 percent annually.
• US employees stole an estimated $170 billion worth of their employers’ time in 1989, according to personnel consulting firm Robert Half International.
• A 1983 US Department of Commerce study concluded that about one third of all employees steal from their companies.

With regards to other adverse behaviors…

Although theft is often the first thought when thinking of business losses, many other adverse behaviors exist that are costly to businesses:

• Bullying
• Sexual harassment
• Embezzlement
• Tardiness
• Anti-Social behavior and more…

Integrity assessments have proven effective in predicting future behaviors that may be costly to businesses. When combined with other legally available tools, integrity assessments is part of a complete package for businesses, groups and organizations to make better decisions. This results in savings to businesses estimated in the billions of dollars resulting from loss of production and legal entanglements.

Aptitude Assessments

It is most helpful for employers and for that matter a job applicant to know what their talents and suitability is for a job or profession. This type of assessment is often used in school systems to help evaluate a student’s aptitude for various career paths. Being available as an online resource will help you in making good personnel choices.