In this paper, we analyze the ethical issues of using honesty and integrity tests in employment screening. Our focus will be on the United States context: legal requirements related to applicant privacy differ in other countries, but we posit that our proposed balancing test is broadly applicable. We start by discussing why companies have ethical and legal obligations, based on a stakeholder analysis, to assess the integrity of potential employees. We then move to a consideration of how companies currently use background checks as a pre-employment screening tool, noting their limitations. We then take up honesty and integrity testing, focusing particularly on the problems of false positives and due process. We offer a balancing test for the use of honesty and integrity testing that takes in three factors: (1) the potential harm posed by a dishonest employee in a particular job, (2) the linkage between the test and the assessment process, and (3) the accuracy and validity of the honesty and integrity test. We conclude with implications for practice and future research.

Purported to predict honesty, integrity tests are in widespread use by employers throughout the U.S. As a job candidate, your future could depend on your ability to outsmart these intrusive, irrelevant and inherently unfair exams. Here, Charles Clifton tells you how.

Before the passage of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, thousands of companies used polygraph examinations to assess job applicants' predisposition to engage in dishonest activities. Despite the virtual outlawing of this procedure, screening alternatives are still needed in business. In this work, Dr. John Jones presents the current research on honesty, or integrity, tests, providing a thorough discussion of the available alternatives as well as a summary of the Model Guidelines to be used for honesty testing programs. The book covers the history of honesty testing, the current state-of-the-art research, and assessments of future trends and applications. The work is divided into four separate sections. The first four chapters chronicle the 40-year history of integrity testing, summarize how companies attempt to control employee theft, and review research showing that the use of honesty tests yields a meaningful return-on-investment. The second section focuses on current research trends. Among the topics discussed are the psychometric properties of a leading integrity test, the theoretical foundation for overt honesty tests, the accuracy of tests and ways to reduce classification errors, applicants' reactions to tests, and the organizational climate of honesty. The five chapters in section three cover future directions in preemployment testing, including discussions of tests designed to predict productivity, turnover, drug use, violence, and accidents. The final section provides practical information for companies seeking to implement integrity testing, such as integrating tests into the selection process and maintaining applicants' privacy rights. This work will be a useful reference for professionals in the fields of security management, human resources, and organizational behavior and for courses in business management, as well as a valuable addition to both public and academic libraries.