TULSA, Okla., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- In light of recent corporate scandals, U.S. companies are trying new interview techniques to gauge the morality of potential employees.
"Some of my colleagues in psychology think there's a distinction between embezzling, compulsive lying, substance abuse and philandering, but it's all of a piece," Robert Hogan of Hogan Assessment Systems in Tulsa, Okla., told USA Today.
Now many of those who screen candidates for executive-level hire or promotion are conducting more rigorous background checks and interviewing candidates with their spouses.
And it's not just shareholders that stand to suffer from such moral shortfalls -- immoral bosses make work atmospheres harder on their subordinates, psychologist Louis Cox said.
For instance, many of the executives involved in recent scandals also betrayed their wives. Trial testimony revealed former Tyco Chief Executive Dennis Kozlowski had at least two affairs before he married one of his mistresses. A book about Enron said several of its executives were openly pursuing or dating co-workers.
"It's tough for people to make honest choices when they're leading double lives," Hogan said.
