Why HR managers should make sure they have an employment screening strategy in place

Employment screening is one of the most widely used steps in the hiring process, however many still fail to implement a solid employment screening strategy which is key to managing employment risks effectively. With business decisions close under the microscope, the role of a HR Managers and employment screening in mitigating the risk of hiring someone with a questionable employment history, criminal record or eligibility to work in the UK is more important than ever – and this is where background screening comes in.

Having a background screening process in place is a very important process to ensure  that the people you hire are not only the people they say they are but will be suited to the job and work well within a safe and secure working environment. Recruitment is a very difficult task and as a HR manager, you need to have confidence in the people you invite to join your company. For this, it’s essential to identify any possible threats through DBS checks. It’s important to plan when you will background check potential employees, whether it’s before a job offer or after, depending on the conditions of your job offer.  It is also worth considering performing ongoing checks on existing employees during their time at your company to ensure that no security issues have occurred since their start date. This will allow you to consistently monitor the quality of your employees and leave you with a strong workforce. In order to make your screening strategy effective it is worth considering a few things pre and post employment:

Pre-Employment Screening

First of all, pre-employment screening is vital to ensure that you are hiring the right people for the right job. These checks will verify the identity of an applicant, verify their right to work, confirm employment and qualification history and provide you with any criminal record information. A surprising number of candidates provide potential employers false information on their CV, which can lead to future embarrassment and damage to your company. It may also leave you vulnerable to future security risks if your candidate has a criminal history. So in order to improve the quality of people you hire, background checks are essential and not to be overlooked. Here are some points to consider.

• Consider the level of vetting you require.
• Ensure that the provider you use to do the checks is credible.
• If an individual refuses a background check, it may indicate that it may be time to reject them from your recruitment process.

Post Employment Screening

Once you have hired new employees, it is important to keep the information flowing. Although you may trust your employees implicitly, especially after their pre-employment background checks, screening should be an ongoing process to minimise risk to your company. This will help maintain a safe and trusted work environment. To carry out ongoing checks you will need:

• Permission from employees for re-screening so this needs to be communicated well in order to avoid employee dissatisfaction or mistrust of the company.
• To make sure that the checks are relevant for current positions held by individual employees.
• Re-screen employees on a regular basis. We recommend re-screening every 12-18 months to make sure that any issues haven’t arisen since the start of employment.
• To consider using an updating service which allows you access to information about your employees frequently.

In this highly competitive business world, it is important that you identify and resolve any possible threats to your company. Reliable employees will help create a positive reputation for your business and it’s crucial to make sure that you know exactly who you are working with. Read more about employment screening services here or to speak to one of our advisors about any specific questions contact: info@cbscreening.co.uk or 01443 799 900