Recruitment consultants need to ensure that they run thorough background checks on candidates. That is according to new research by SterlingBackcheck. The background screening process provider has released a survey, revealing that 38% of UK employers don’t check to see if their employees have the right to work in the country, despite being legally obliged to do so. |
Neglecting to run thorough background checks could result in employers redoing the hiring process. This could result in recruiters who fail to conduct adequate background checks losing clients.
SterlingBackcheck polled 175 organisations for the survey, which will be published tomorrow.
However, a preview of the study shown to Executive Grapevine reveals that only 58% of organisations conduct any type of background checks.
Clare Hart is CEO at SterlingBackcheck. She says: “Employers have a duty to prevent illegal working, so it’s their responsibility to conduct document checks and ensure that they only recruit people who have permission to work in the UK.
“The tight labour market makes it tempting for employers to look the other way, but any business that fails to carry out these checks correctly risks a £20,000 civil penalty for each illegal worker, as well as damage to their brand and reputation. That’s a high price to pay.”
The companies least likely to screen candidates are SMEs with less than 100 employees.
67% of respondents said they conduct pre-hire screening checks to meet regulatory compliance.
59% stated that they did background checks to improve the quality of hires and 53% said they screened candidates to maintain their corporate reputation.
66% of employers conduct background screenings to check for CV fraud.
“Usually this is to guard against job applicants who have embellished their experience to make themselves appear more employable,” Hart says. “However, recruiters should also conduct these checks to protect themselves against candidates who have forged their identity or immigration status.”
Source: http://www.recruitmentgrapevine.com/
SterlingBackcheck polled 175 organisations for the survey, which will be published tomorrow.
However, a preview of the study shown to Executive Grapevine reveals that only 58% of organisations conduct any type of background checks.
Clare Hart is CEO at SterlingBackcheck. She says: “Employers have a duty to prevent illegal working, so it’s their responsibility to conduct document checks and ensure that they only recruit people who have permission to work in the UK.
“The tight labour market makes it tempting for employers to look the other way, but any business that fails to carry out these checks correctly risks a £20,000 civil penalty for each illegal worker, as well as damage to their brand and reputation. That’s a high price to pay.”
The companies least likely to screen candidates are SMEs with less than 100 employees.
67% of respondents said they conduct pre-hire screening checks to meet regulatory compliance.
59% stated that they did background checks to improve the quality of hires and 53% said they screened candidates to maintain their corporate reputation.
66% of employers conduct background screenings to check for CV fraud.
“Usually this is to guard against job applicants who have embellished their experience to make themselves appear more employable,” Hart says. “However, recruiters should also conduct these checks to protect themselves against candidates who have forged their identity or immigration status.”
Source: http://www.recruitmentgrapevine.com/