In the current economic climate, making sure every part of your organisational structure runs smoothly is a key element of helping your business save money. Corporate hiring policies are increasingly making the use of background checks to ensure anyone they hire will be an asset to the business and help improve on their current business aims.
But firstly, what is a background check and what does it involve?
What is a background check?
A background check is a legal investigation designed to verify a person’s identity, establish the truth in any claims they have made, and uncover any previous criminal convictions. It is sometimes known as a pre-employment screening check.
This can include background checks on whether they have a criminal record, their social media, their right to work, their references and if it is applicable to the job; a driving licence or accreditation check.
Although background checks are nothing new, over the years government agencies and the civil service have regularly carried out background checks to assess the suitability of a potential new hire, with fast moving technology and social media playing such a large part in the day to day lives of most people, hiring a private investigator to run a background check is now more essential than ever to protect your business and should be considered a key component of the recruitment process.
How to save money with a background check
- Prevent financial risk
Preventing the financial risk associated with corporate fraud and theft is a big reason why you should always do a background check on a possible employee. Background checks can help identify potential employees that may have a history of poor fiscal responsibility at previous companies and criminal record checks can help find those with a history of theft. This helps protect your business from losing money and assets with monetary value.
- Reduce turnaround
Having a high employee turnover can be a big waste of time and resources for businesses. Going through repeated job searches and the HR process is time consuming, especially when you can increase productivity by ensuring your new employees match your business aims. Running a background check can reassure you that there can be a level of trust in your potential employee and they will be a good fit with your business and business ethics and values, allowing you to allocate the time and resources spent on repeated job searches into higher value tasks.
- Ensure your potential employees have the required accreditation
If you run a business that needs your employees to have a certain level of education or accreditation, especially in regards to health and safety laws, then it is imperative that you know if a potential employee has the right qualifications for the role. This not only reduces the time and money spent on the employment process but also protects your business against the risk of financial penalties associated with non-compliance to UK regulations and the reputational damage such penalties would bring.
- Protect your business from bad press
The prevalence of social media has created a huge platform for businesses to run marketing and ad campaigns and given access to audiences from around the world. However, the downside to this has been that employees can now air their own views to the world on such a scale that when a person has been found to have been acting inappropriately online, it has created a backlash towards the business they work for. This negative advertising can have adverse effects for your business, so a social media background check is a useful tool to ensure any possible employee matches the beliefs and values of your business and their social media does not contain anything that could damage your company in the future.
- Safety
If your business deals with children and vulnerable adults then safety will be a key priority. Creating the right environment and hiring the right people is essential to protect those most at risk from harm. Although DBS checks should be standard in the industry, conducting a thorough background check, including DBS, should be the top of your recruitment list. This can save your business from the cost of criminal and civil lawsuits arising from employing an unsuitable person and any negligence or harm caused as a result.
What can a Private Investigator offer?
A private investigator can offer a bespoke service tailored to your individual business needs and recruitment strategies. This means a reputable agency or investigator should offer initial consultations to ascertain your requirements and discover the types of background checks that will be needed to determine the information you want. By discussing your requirements, any check carried out will be bespoke to your business, so you only pay for what you need, giving you far more value for money than a large corporation that will simply do a generic check on automated databases.
This level of attention also allows for a more meticulous search, and private investigators are trained to spot anomalies and irregularities that automated solutions may miss. With most investigators coming from a police or military background, you can ensure any search is carried out both thoroughly and with due diligence.
Hiring a private investigator or employing the services of a security agency ensures your peace of mind that any information collected during the background check is handled sensitively and the background check itself is done discreetly. Make sure you find a private investigator that adheres to the industry wide ethical code of conduct, look out for professional accreditations and membership of organisations such as the Association of British Investigators (ABI) and the UK Professional Investigators Network (UKPIN.)
Background Checks with OpSec Solutions
If you are looking to add background checks as standard recruitment practice to help save your business money, or you have suspicions about potential candidates, then OpSec Solutions can offer you a personal service that is bespoke to your requirements. Our team takes time to assess every request in detail. After a consultation, we will outline a clear plan, with a clear price tailored to the type of background check you require. This ensures you have a cost effective solution to your hiring needs.
With over 10 years of experience, OpSec Solutions have earned full accreditations from the Association of British Investigators, the Institute of Professional Investigators, and the U.K Professional Investigators Network. This means that, when employing any of the services provided by us, you have peace of mind that these experts will find the truth and any private investigative services, methods and techniques are carried out ethically, legally and with full confidentiality.
During the course of any background check, private investigators will be collecting information regarding the identification of a person, as such, any private investigator is required to be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure adherence with data protection laws. Our team here at OpSec Solutions consistently meet the highest standard for registration and take the guidelines around obtaining and the subsequent storage extremely seriously, which helps protect your business and any data or evidence collected during the search.
Hiring a private investigator can be a difficult experience for some and we want our clients to be able to trust us and feel comfortable about how we operate. By using a reputable firm such as OpSec, you ensure anyone working on your case has the required background in the corporate sector and is fully supported by our use of innovative technology solutions. This means we use techniques that will allow us to stay discreet and considerate and your candidate will not be notified of any check or investigation. If you are in need of our help for an employee background check or any of the other services we offer here at OpSec Solutions, we are just a phone call or email away. Contact our team on 0844-664-1125 to arrange a free consultation today.