Background checking is often perceived as a practice conducted by large, corporate size organisations only. This perception has been driven by the need for vigorous background checking in highly funded industries, such as aviation, healthcare, education, to name a few.
Simply put, this is untrue. Background checks are encouraged by organisations of all sizes. Hiring a risky employee, without knowing their background, can be a costly situation. We are not just talking financial costs, but also legal and reputational damage.
Despite the low cost of background checking, many small to medium enterprises keep this very basic (a right to work check, at a minimum), which often lead to long-term cost implications.
Why run a background check?
Small to medium sized companies often have less rules and red tape when it comes to their processes. Whilst this freedom encourages ideas for increased productivity and efficiency, it also poses its own set of risks.
Firstly, all employees in these environments often have access to financial information, confidential documents, and are not limited to the data they can access. With the ease of the internet and computer technology, data and documents can be obtained by employees and used for nefarious purposes. Therefore, it makes sense to check an employee’s background to ensure they do not pose these type of data risks.
In addition, there is the safety of other employees and clients to consider. If a new employee has engaged in adverse behaviour in the past (e.g., theft or violent crime), and an employee or client is endangered, then the employer will come under scrutiny. This would include an assessment on whether the employer conducted appropriate background checks. If the employer has no evidence of conducting any type of background checks, then the reputational and legal damage they suffer could leave long-term (perhaps even irreparable) damage.
Thirdly, there is the concern of brand. Small to medium sized companies spend a lot of resources on branding. And because of the size of their organisation, this can be tarnished in seconds. A new staff member could easily damage a company’s branding by engaging in disreputable activity, whether this is through negative social media posting, leaking confidential data, to name a few.
Avoid the cost of a bad hire
The above discusses a handful of incidents that an employer/organisation could find themselves in without background checking. The main thing employers should consider is the cost of a bad hire.
How much would a bad hire cost you?
What would it cost you? Money, reputation? Potentially everything?
Could we have avoided this bad hire?
Avoiding the cost of a bad hire starts with background checking. So, what does your organisation need to do?
What can my company do?
Implementing a background checking process is relatively straightforward with the right personnel, structure, and tools behind it.
Do It Yourself – Consider all 10 background checks
It is vital that your company consider all 10 background checks within your screening process. Some are required by law (right to work, DBS in some sectors), whilst others are more sector specific (e.g., medical check in aviation). The 10 checks are:
- Right to work
- Criminal record (DBS, Disclosure Scotland)
- Credit check
- DVLA check
- International Sanctions
- Employment references
- Educational references
- Medical check
- Social media screening
- UK Sanctions
We discuss these 10 checks in more detail here
We have also written guides on running an efficient vetting process and an employer’s guide to pre-employment screening, which have helped organisations with implementing a robust screening and onboarding process.
There are also government resources that provide updates on right to work and DBS checks.
Utilise Background Checking Software
This is more preferred option for organisations wanting to conduct background checks seamlessly and reliable – with fast results.
This is where EBC Global come in.
We provide two systems that assist organisations of all sizes and sectors with background checking. These are Employment Check Pro and Employment Check Lite:
Employment Check Pro is our ultimate, market-leading solution to onboarding and screening. Designed with your sector in mind, our Pro software features hundreds of functions to fully automate employee checks. Pro includes many automatic features, including referencing, background checks, employment gaps, and more. Click here to learn more.
Alternatively, we have Employment Check Lite. Lite is designed for companies who want a cost-effective solution to streamlining their application and background checking process. Not only does Lite allow for instant background checks, but it also allows you to collect your candidate’s documents and data with ease. Lite is compliant, secure, and FREE to use. Click here to learn more.