ETHICS Should employers check an applicant’s credit report as part of the hiring process? Each year retailers lose $30 billion a year from employee theft and $55 million because of workplace violence. Those who commit fraud are often living above their means but there is no evidence that workers with poor credit reports are more likely to steal from their employers, be violent, or quit their jobs. And refusing to hire someone with a low credit score creates a sad Catch-22: People have poor credit records because they are unemployed and because they have poor credit records they continue to be unemployed. What is the right thing for an employer to do?