What Does The Future Of Background Checks Look Like?

With the recent governmental changes to right to work checks, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the future of background checks.

This begs the question: what does the future of background checks look like?

From digitisation to changes with the process, we look at five areas that employers must look out for in future to maintain background check compliance.

1) More International Sanctions Checks will be conducted

At this time, criminal record checks (or DBS checks) are offered at three levels: basic, standard, and enhanced. However, with the recent changes to right to work checks on EU nationals (and other legislative changes), we have seen an increased interest in International Sanctions Checks. And we predict this will continue to grow in the coming months and years.

Because DBS has no access to criminal records overseas, employers are using this check to see if non-UK candidates have had any adverse media attention or affiliations with any illegal entities; adding extra protection for their organisation.

We discuss sanctions checks (also known as a sanction search) in more detail here.

2) Right to work checks will be digitised

Right to work checks are expected to be fully digital in the not-so-distant future.

This change is expected to occur as The Home Office are facing pressure from industry bodies, employers, and HR professionals to allow for digital checks. This follows The Home Office’s announcement to resume physical right to work checks on 1st September 2021, which has been met with widespread criticism.

With the fact that The Home Office already allow EU nationals to benefit from an online right to work check system, we predict The Home Office will allow digital right to work checks for all individuals (including British citizens) very soon.

3) More emphasis on social media screening

Many UK employers already utilise social media screening as part of their background check process. And with the predicted increase of social media users by 2022, we predict more companies will implement this type of check.

The benefit of a social media screening is it reveals behavioural information which is not revealed during the interview process.

If you are looking to use social media as part of your background checks, you should consider the legal risks if you get it wrong. We discuss this more as part of ten key checks employers must make article.

4) Companies of all sizes will source automated solutions

Because of the need to maintain compliance, many UK employers automate their background check process with bespoke or off-the-shelf software solutions.

Whilst this is commonplace for many large companies, small to medium sized businesses are also starting to look for automated solutions. This is not only because of the time and money saving benefits, but also to prevent the costs of a bad hire and non-compliance. There is also the benefit of effective data management, reporting, instant background checks, and many other solutions to common background check problems.

With the wealth of software and solutions available, coupled with the prediction that some checks (e.g., right to work) will become fully digital, we predict that more smaller companies will source automated background check solutions in the future.

5) Candidates will perform their own background checks

As online systems and smart phone apps become more user friendly, we predict that more candidates will look to perform their own background checks.

This is not just because more companies are demanding it, but because job seekers are seeing the advantages of it.

The main advantage for job seekers is the ability to secure employment ahead of the competition, by providing their employers with the data, documents, and background checks required for the role.

With new background check products available to end-users, we can see many more candidates taking control of their checks; benefiting both themselves and their potential employers.

Preparing for the future of background checks

To prepare for any upcoming changes to background checks, it is important to implement a process or system that anticipates these changes.

If there is scope to implement such a system, then you should consider Employment Check Pro.

Employment Check Pro is a secure, fast, and robust platform that offers instant employment checks. Its easy to use and has helped all our clients manage all elements of the screening and recruitment process.

It is designed for all sectors, including aviation, education, healthcare, recruitment, and more.

And not only is it secure, but it is also fast and fully GDPR-compliant.

Learn more about Pro here or complete the contact form below to book a demo.