Employment background checks help employers verify important information about the people they are recruiting and make more informed hiring decisions.
Depending on the role and organisation, the screening process can involve identity verification, Right to Work checks, criminal record checks, employment history verification, references and other role-specific checks.
But carrying out the checks is only part of the challenge.
For HR, recruitment and compliance teams managing multiple hires, there is also information to collect, checks to track, results to review and records to maintain. A clear employment background screening process can make this much easier to manage.
This guide explains how employment background checks work in the UK, the types of checks employers may consider and how organisations can manage screening more efficiently.
What are employment background checks?
Employment background checks are checks carried out as part of the recruitment and vetting process to verify information about an individual and assess requirements relevant to their role.
You may also see the process described as employment screening, background screening, pre-employment screening or employment vetting.
The checks an employer uses will depend on factors such as the role, sector, responsibilities involved and applicable legal or regulatory requirements.
For example, an organisation might need to verify someone’s identity and Right to Work, while certain roles may also require criminal record screening, employment history verification or other checks.
There is therefore no single background screening package that every UK employer should apply to every role.
The objective is to establish a screening process that is appropriate and proportionate to the position being filled.
What can employment background checks include?
An employment background screening process can combine several different checks.
These may include:
- Identity verification
- Right to Work checks
- DBS or other criminal record checks
- Employment history verification
- Employment references
- DVLA driving licence checks
- Credit checks where appropriate
- International criminal record checks
- Sanctions and PEP screening
- Social media checks where appropriate
Not every check will be relevant to every organisation or role.
For example, all UK employers have a responsibility to check that someone has the right to work in the UK before employing them. The appropriate method will depend on the individual’s circumstances.
Other checks have specific eligibility requirements.
Standard and Enhanced DBS checks, for example, are only available for eligible roles. Employers should establish the appropriate level of criminal record check rather than applying the same level of screening to every position.
For a closer look at the checks available through EBC Global, see our employment screening background checks.
Related reading: View all Employment Screening Background Checks
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How do employment background checks work?
The exact employment background check process will vary between organisations, but employers can build a consistent workflow around five broad stages.
1. Define the screening requirements for the role
Start by establishing what needs to be checked and why.
The requirements for a driver, finance professional or person working in regulated activity may be very different from those for another position.
Consider the responsibilities associated with the role, relevant regulations, sector requirements and your organisation’s screening policy.
This is particularly important for criminal record screening. Employers need to establish whether a role is eligible for a Standard or Enhanced DBS check before requesting one.
Defining these requirements at the beginning also makes it easier to create consistent screening workflows for similar roles across your organisation.
2. Collect the information required for screening
Once the requirements have been established, the employer needs to collect the information necessary to complete the relevant checks.
Exactly what is required will depend on the checks being carried out. This could include identity details, address information, employment history or supporting documents.
Employers and recruitment businesses also need to consider their data protection responsibilities when collecting and processing personal information during recruitment.
The ICO’s recruitment guidance covers how data protection law applies when employers and recruiters handle candidate information during recruitment and selection.
For teams processing a large number of applicants, collecting information through different emails, documents and spreadsheets can quickly become difficult to manage. Using a structured digital workflow helps keep the information associated with each screening file together.
3. Complete the appropriate checks
Once the required information is available, the relevant employment background checks can begin.
These should reflect the requirements established for the role rather than applying every available check automatically.
For example, an employer may need to complete a Right to Work check and identity verification alongside employment history or reference checks. Other positions may require additional criminal record, driving, financial or international screening.
Where several checks form part of the same screening process, employers also need visibility of which checks have been requested, which are in progress and which have been completed.
4. Review results and follow up where needed
Completing a background check does not automatically make the hiring decision for you.
Results need to be reviewed in the context of the role, your recruitment policies and any relevant legal or regulatory requirements.
There may also be occasions where information needs clarification or further investigation.
A structured process helps the appropriate people see the information they need and understand the status of the overall screening file.
5. Record the outcome and manage ongoing requirements
Once screening is complete, employers may need to retain appropriate records of checks and decisions.
Retention should be handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements and your organisation’s retention policies.
Some requirements may also need to be revisited during employment. For example, where an individual’s permission to work is time-limited, follow-up Right to Work checks may be required.
This is another reason why background screening should be treated as a structured organisational process rather than a collection of unrelated checks.
How should employers decide which background checks to carry out?
There is no universal list of employment background checks that every employer should conduct for every person.
Instead, employers should consider what is appropriate for the position.
That can include:
- legal requirements
- DBS eligibility
- regulatory or industry requirements
- responsibilities associated with the role
- access to sensitive information, finances, vehicles or vulnerable groups
- the organisation’s recruitment and screening policy
This role-based approach helps employers avoid both under-screening and collecting information that is unnecessary for the recruitment decision.
For example, UK employers must establish a person’s Right to Work before employing them.
Higher-level DBS checks are different. Eligibility depends on the role and activities involved, and organisations are responsible for ensuring that the appropriate level is requested.
The key is therefore not to ask:
“How many background checks should we run?”
A better question is:
“Which checks are appropriate for this role, and how do we make sure that process is followed consistently?”
Managing employment background checks at scale
Running one employment check is very different from managing screening across dozens, hundreds or thousands of applicants.
As recruitment volumes increase, so does the operational work surrounding the checks.
HR, recruitment and compliance teams may need to:
- request information from multiple applicants
- manage different screening requirements by role
- monitor outstanding applications
- track several checks for the same person
- review returned results and documents
- follow up incomplete information
- maintain screening records
- report on progress across the organisation
This becomes particularly difficult when information is spread across spreadsheets, inboxes, shared folders and separate screening systems.
It also makes it harder to answer basic operational questions.
Which applicants are ready to start?
Which checks are still outstanding?
Which files require attention?
Which roles require a different screening workflow?
This is where employment screening software becomes useful.
Rather than treating every check as a separate administrative task, employers can manage the screening journey as one workflow.
See what your screening process looks like in one platform
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Using employment screening software to manage the process
Employment screening software gives employers and recruitment businesses a central place to manage the background checking process.
Instead of manually coordinating individual checks, information and results, a screening platform can connect the different stages of the process.
With EBC Global Pro, organisations can create screening workflows, collect information, initiate checks, monitor progress and bring completed screening information together within one platform.
For organisations that already operate through an ATS, CRM, HR or workforce management platform, background screening can also be integrated into existing systems through an API.
The important distinction is that technology does not decide which checks an employer should carry out.
It helps organisations manage the process they have established more consistently and with better visibility.
That becomes increasingly valuable as recruitment volumes, teams and screening requirements grow.
Employment background checks FAQs
Employers can establish standard screening workflows based on role requirements and use a central system to manage applications, checks, progress and results.
Dedicated employment screening software becomes particularly useful when organisations are managing multiple applicants, different role requirements or high recruitment volumes.
The terms are often used interchangeably, but employment screening can be thought of as the wider process.
Individual background checks, such as Right to Work, employment history verification or a DBS check, can form part of that wider screening workflow.
There is no single completion time for an employment background check because the process can involve several different checks.
Timescales can depend on the checks requested, the information available, third-party responses and whether additional verification is required.
For example, DBS states that application processing times vary, with some Enhanced checks taking longer if they are referred to police for checks against non-conviction information.
Requirements depend on the check and role.
Employers must check that a person has the right to work in the UK before employing them.
Other checks depend on the position, sector or applicable requirements. For example, Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are restricted to eligible roles.
Employers should use the relevant official guidance when establishing their screening requirements.
Employers typically define the screening requirements for a role, collect the information needed, complete the appropriate checks, review the results and record the screening outcome.
Organisations recruiting at scale may use employment screening software to manage these stages through a consistent workflow.
They can include identity verification, Right to Work, employment history, references, criminal record checks, DVLA checks, financial screening, international checks and other role-specific screening.
The appropriate combination depends on the position and applicable requirements.
An employment background check is a check used by an employer or recruiter to verify information relevant to a person’s employment and the requirements of a particular role. The screening process may include several checks rather than one universal background check.
Manage employment background checks with EBC Global Pro
Employment background checks become harder to manage as hiring volumes and screening requirements grow.
EBC Global Pro gives employers, recruiters and compliance teams one platform for managing the employment screening process, from collecting the information required for screening through to tracking checks and bringing completed results together.
Instead of relying on disconnected spreadsheets, inboxes and systems, your team can see screening progress and manage workflows from one place.
Start a free 12-day trial and see how EBC Global Pro could work for your screening process.
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