Preparing to hire a new employee is always an exciting process. However, there can also be stress involved with hiring someone new for your business. One of the biggest challenges in the hiring process is determining whether prospective employees are qualified for the job and checking their references.
An important aspect of reference checking involves running background checks on potential employees. Conducting thorough background checks can help employers learn about applicants' past work experiences, education information, criminal records, qualifications, or suitability that may not be adequately reflected on resumes and CVs.
Here are five reasons why employers should conduct background checks:
1. Prevent Frauds
Background checks can help prevent fraud. Whether it is falsifying employment or education information, using false identities to gain employment, or stealing clients' identities by posing as employees, there are many scams in the workplace. Conducting thorough background checks throughout the recruitment process can help employers detect these types of problems before they occur and take the necessary steps to resolve them.
2. Determine if the Applicant is a Safe and Appropriate Fit for the Job
Every employer wants to ensure they make the right decision when choosing a new addition to the organization. Background checks on applicants can help them determine if the applicant is a good fit for their business. For instance, employers can look at previous work experience to assess whether they would be qualified for the position or check employment references to examine how well their past employers think of them.
In certain sectors, DBS Checks are required under specific industry regulations. DBS Checks are criminal record checks which provide employers with the information they need to make safe recruitment decisions. The information provided on a DBS Certificate lets employers know whether or not someone is appropriate to fulfil certain roles involving vulnerable groups.
3. Protect the Business and Employees
Health and safety in the workplace is a critical aspect of any business. If you want to protect your business as well as the employees, a thorough applicant background check should be made. Suppose someone has a criminal record, with convictions relevant to the work involved in your business. In this case, you will want to make sure you have all the information available. This can help you assess whether the applicant is qualified to work with customers or are even allowed to carry out activities related to certain vulnerable customers. Conducting background checks before hiring new employees gives employers insight into applicants' backgrounds to determine who would be safe working for them.
4. Protect Investors and Customers
Background checks can also help protect a company's investors and customers. Some research has found that employees that have background checks carried out are less likely to pose a financial risk. Estimates state that businesses lose an estimated £2.37 trillion globally due to occupational fraud and theft. By helping intercept individuals with fraudulent intent or those who are financially irresponsible, the cost of background checks pales in insignificance compared to the amount of money you could potentially lose if they weren’t carried out.
5. Comply with Industry Regulations and Laws
Employers should conduct background checks on new applicants to help them avoid legal problems and to comply with any statutory or regulatory responsibilities they may have. Not conducting relevant background checks can leave your business vulnerable to legal action. It can also leave any vulnerable individuals that you deal with, exposed to dangerous individuals who should not be working with them. Thorough background checks before making job offers can help employers avoid issues that may come back to haunt them.
OTHER REASONS
There is no single reason why carrying out background checks are beneficial. Aside from the ones we've already mentioned, we found the following were some of the most commonly cited reasons:
Helping reduce employee turnover
Help prevent absenteeism
Helping improve an organisation's reputation
Although these checks do cost, the overall expense can be a drop in the ocean. when compared to the cost of a negligent hiring lawsuit. Not to mention the damage to your reputation!
For more information about anything in this article, or, how our screening solutions can help you, get in touch! You can give us a call on 01254 355688 or drop us an email at .
In order to protect the company from various potential risks, a background check is considered an imperative pre-employment screening step before making a hiring decision. Most of the times, companies assume that the applicants are telling the truth on their resumes. Most of the times, applicants are honest but there are few areas where they can hide the truth from you. To ensure that your company is hiring the right person, a background and/or DBS check needs to take place.
What is a Background Check?
It is a comprehensive review of a person or any other organization’s commercial records, financial records and most important of all, criminal records. A background check can include education, employment, credit history, criminal records, license record etc.
There are various background check services providers that can get you all the information on your current or future employees.
Why Your Company Needs Background Check Services?
Here are some obvious reasons why your company needs to acquire background check services to ensure sound hiring decisions:
It Highlights Criminal History
One of the main reasons why companies decide for pre-employment background checks is to flag any previous criminal history of the applicant. Having the knowledge of applicant’s criminal history, the employer can make a final decision. Sometimes, criminal history suggests minor charges on the applicant. However, in order to ensure that whether the applicant is suitable for hiring or not, a criminal history check needs to take place.
It Avoids Liability
Let’s suppose that you hire a person for truck driver position without running any background check on him. One day, he gets into a major accident on a busy road due to driving under an influence. The police arrest the driver and it turns out that he already had three DUIs in the past. Given the fact that you didn’t run any background check, there are chances that you’ll be considered liable due to your negligence.
It Ensures Workplace Safety
There are chances that you’ll conduct interviews of applicants that are dangerous. From sex offenders to violent criminals, you just cannot take a risk of hiring them. But what if you do not run a background check and hire a violent criminal or sexual predator? It will compromise your workplace safety. Every employer knows that workplace safety is one of the top concerns and if it is compromised then there are chances that you will be held accountable for it.
Job Competence is Important
For employers, verifying the claims that are made by job applicants is important. Let it be the educational qualifications or any other job history, the employer needs a reliable way that can make the screening process a success. Without background checks, you just cannot be positive about the hiring decisions you made.
It Ensures That You Have Made a Right Decision
In the end, it all comes down to peace of mind. It is obvious that you want your company to thrive and that is why you’ll choose the best candidates. There is no denying that employment screening processes are hectic and full of stress. You go through such lengthy processes because you want the best for your company. If you want to make sure that you’ve hired the right person then running a background check is as important as anything else.
The Bottom Line
All things considered, you need to be thorough in your employment screening process and that is only possible with a comprehensive background check on each applicant. So, unless you want the workplace safety to get compromised or go through the stressful employment screening process again, it is best to run background checks to make smart decisions. Needless to say, it is the best approach for you!
Applicant FAQ / Why do employers do background checks?
Employers generally do not assume that people applying for jobs are lying on their resumes and background forms – quite the contrary.
The background check is often a final step taken by employers to help ensure a sound hiring decision and protect the employer from a number of potential risks.
Job Competence
For many employers, a background check is a reliable way of verifying claims made by job seekers during the hiring process. With a tight employment market, the appeal of overstating educational qualifications or enhancing job histories, for example, can grow.
As a future employee, wouldn’t you feel more assured in knowing that your co-workers have been screened to help ensure they are qualified for the jobs they hold?
Workplace Safety
Employers face certain responsibilities for their employees’ welfare, as well as for the safety of customers, vendors and visitors.
For example, if an employer hires someone who harms another employee, the employer may face claims for negligent hiring if, for example, the employer had reasonable cause to believe that the employee might be dangerous to others or the employer failed to conduct a reasonable investigation to discover whether the employee is unfit for the position or may cause harm to others.
Workplace Theft
Employers know that most business theft today is performed by insiders. A background check can help employers to make intelligent and informed hiring decisions to help reduce their risk of theft.
Honesty and Integrity
A confirmed misstatement or fabrication made by an applicant during the hiring process often is enough for an employer to question the applicant’s honesty or integrity and potentially disqualify them from a job.
To see the importance to employers of confirming applicant credentials, look no further than the very public examples of CEOs and high-profile professors and coaches that embellished their credentials, only to cause harm to the reputation of the employers that failed to conduct a (or a sufficient) background check on them.
The Bottom Line
Organizational reputations have always been a great concern to employers, as the most highly regarded organizations generally can attract the best-qualified workers.
Background checks help employers safeguard their reputations by creating safer, more secure work environments staffed by qualified employees.