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Employment in the UK, from the perspective of both employers and employees, appears to be at a recent high point in terms of volatility. There have been so many changes in the past few years, everywhere from remote working practices to regulatory changes, that it can be difficult to keep up at times.
Today, we decided to hone in our focus a little, looking at how background checks have changed (or remained the same) in the context of hiring practices. From identity fraud to AI, here’s what to keep an eye on over the months to come.
Identity fraud with remote working
Over the past half-decade or so, remote working has risen dramatically in popularity. What this means in the context of background checks is that identity fraud has become a lot more common, and it can be a big problem for employers to have to deal with.
In this light, it has become increasingly important that UK companies are able to carry out basic background checks verifying candidates’ identities. Luckily, through companies like Personnel Checks, this is often a lot easier to achieve than one might expect.
When designing your background check strategy, you need to make sure that you’re aware of your regulatory responsibilities in terms of due diligence, so that you can surpass those requirements. At the very least, you want to make sure that you’re not left breaking industry-specific employment laws that could leave you in serious legal trouble.
International teams
Another increasingly dominant issue in the context of remote working is how to standardise a hiring process when you have employees spread out all over the world. Something that works very well when you can onboard in the office suddenly becomes unworkable when half your team lives in another hemisphere.
Hiring managers are having to adopt processes that are standardised, but in a way that is able to handle this huge amount of variation in terms of candidate and employee locations. This can often end up becoming highly complex, especially when you have to navigate multiple countries’ employment and privacy laws.
Artificial Intelligence
While we’re sure you’re sick of hearing about AI, its impact on background checks is too significant to leave out. Importantly, it’s had a dual impact; on the one hand, it’s made it possible for background check providers to sift through vast quantities of data, and even to confirm identity checks based on selfies.
On the other hand, it’s given fraudsters a set of incredibly complicated and advanced tools to use to deceive their would-be employers. In the realm of document forgery alone, it’s made things a lot more difficult for hiring managers, and it’s an area that’s continuing to evolve at a worrying rate.
As you can see, background check requirements are absolutely changing when it comes to hiring practices, and it’s critical that your HR team is able to stay up to date. By working with the right partners for your needs, you should be able to avoid any potentially dangerous mistakes and protect your organisation’s interests as best you can.
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