More Articles

Avoid Cubicle Cruisers!

What are “cubicle cruisers”?

Cubicle cruisers are employees who spend much of their time at work socializing with  co-workers in office cubicles or workspaces. They are low-level performers who don’t produce high quality work. Instead they spend their time ”cruising” the office from one cubicle to another. In fact, the only thing they seem to produce is small talk.

People often wonder how this type of employee was hired. One of the main reasons this kind of employee exists in companies is the lack of a thorough pre-employment background screen. A pre-employment background screen, including reference checks, is key to weeding out cubicle cruisers.

A possible sign of a lazy employee is lack of references and work history gaps on his or her resume′. When these signs are present it is important to get clarification through a full background check.

Problems with “cubicle cruisers”

The main problem with cubicle cruisers is the low productivity of work. He or she will usually produce just enough work to get by. Another tactic the cubicle cruiser will practice is the appearance of being busy with work. But in reality the work being produced is of low quality or quantity. Even if their work is good, it could be better if they weren’t spending so much time socializing and involved in irrelevant chitchat.

Other problems cubicle cruisers can cause:

• Prevents company from progressing
• Distracts fellow employees
• Low morale of company
• Injury claims at work
• Costly mistakes

The company won’t progress when the employees in a company are not performing at their capacity. This is partly due to the distraction a cubicle cruiser causes co-workers. The other aspect is the lowering of the morale of other employees. Productive employees will resent an employee who appears to be slacking off. Another important concern is the safety issue. When employees are distracted, there is a higher chance of injury in the workplace. This could end up costing the company more money when re-applying for Worker’s Compensation insurance. Other costly mistakes, such as inaccurate accounting, can also be made when employees are distracted.

An employee background check is key to avoiding “cubicle cruisers”

An important issue to consider with cubicle cruisers is the integrity of their resumes′ and job application. They may be able to get away with over-socializing and slacking off for a while, but not forever. Eventually they will get fired or demoted. And many times they will not reveal this information on their resume′ or job application. Worst of all, a tactic used to hide failed positions or gaps of employment, is to add fictitious employers or companies on a resume′.

A pre-employment background search will uncover inconsistencies through reference checks. It is essential to verify employment dates and references. A professional background check company can also save a business from lazy employees, time, money and resources.