Employee Background Check – A HR Managers Guide

Employee drug testing and background checks are a crucial part of the recruitment process. If you have never done them before then they can be quite daunting but companies like cintas drug screening make this process so comfortable and easy for all new employees.

In this article, you will find out what is included and what is your role as an HR manager in this process to ensure efficiency and compliance

You will learn

• What is a background check?
• What is included in doing a background check on an employee?
• Why should businesses use background checks?
• Data protection, GDPR and background checking

What is a background check?

Depending on what is required a background check UK has many different elements, including an identity check, police record check, qualifications check or work reference check.

For some employers, a background check might require as little as an ID and address check but for others, any check will be much more extensive (including a 10 panel drug test), especially if they are in a regulated industry like finance, security or medicine.

So, whilst it is difficult to say exactly what is in a particular check for you, we can give you some general pointers.

What is included in employee background checks?

If you are required to do background checks then you may include some or all of the following

• ID checks – Are you sure they are who they say they are.
• Qualifications checks – Are their qualifications genuine
• DBS checks – Do they have a criminal record.
• Reference checks – By doing a reference check, you get to find out whether they worked where they said they did, whether their duties are what they say, and whether the person they gave as a referee exists.
• Address checks – Were they living where they said they were?
• Gap analysis – What where they doing between jobs.
• Media checks – have they been published in print or on TV? Did they say anything embarrassing for your company?
• Social media checks – A new and important one, who are they connected to and what have they been saying or promoting.

Why should businesses use background checks?

The two most important reasons that a business should do a UK background check; one is risk reduction and the other compliance.

Where compliance is the reason then you have no choice but to do the check.

Often the regulator of your industry will state explicitly what checks need to be done.

The security industry is a sector where things like DBS checks, gap analysis and address checks are clearly required.

There are risks when you are recruiting employees where the person is in control of money or assets such as a financial director/controller role.

But there are also risks where you are recruiting someone into a position of power and influence. Imagine for example recruiting a CEO who it turns out had lied about their qualifications. As a result, it might be necessary to conduct pre employment screening to determine whether a candidate meets the required professional requirements for the position. In addition, it can allow hiring managers to verify if the candidate’s information is accurate and whether they are a cultural fit for the organization.

So, in some cases, a business may decide that a certain level of background checking is appropriate for certain roles.

Data protection, GDPR and background checking

One of the most important points that an HR manager needs to consider when it comes to background checking is data protection.

Remember that you are going to have to collect a lot of information as part of the process so the way that you go about it, how you transmit it and how you store it all play a part.

The overriding rule with GDPR is that if you don’t have a valid reason to collect, process or store personal data then you shouldn’t.

It’s important to make sure that you are making your decisions based on sound information of course, but it is also important that the rights of the individual aren’t compromised as a result.

Call us Checkback Intl now on 0144 281 633 and let us show you how easy background checking can be for your business.