Employee Background Checking Solutions

HR analytics, data, and background checks ensure accuracy, authenticity, and legal compliance of your recruitment processes. Ensure suitability and integrity of potential employees – particularly for risk sectors and roles dealing with sensitive information – while adhering to regulations to avoid fines and protect your company reputation.

Identity checks and document verification

There are many high-stake challenges to be faced in Human Resource (HR) when applying analytics, data, and employee background checking to ensure accuracy, authenticity, and legal compliance. Organisations are required to perform not only identity checks and document verification under the UK Right to Work provisions, but also other screening check types such as Criminal Record Checks. Failure to authenticate employee identity can present legal, financial, and reputational risks to an organisation. Thankfully, there are a number of solutions available to help businesses navigate these complex compliance issues.

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Right to Work Checks

Right to Work checks are conducted to ensure that employees have the legal Right to Work in the UK. Failure to comply with Right to Work regulations can result in serious penalties, fines, and legal consequences. A candidate must provide a Right to Work document which shows they have permission to do the type of work in question (including those non-UK/Irish nationals showing any limit on the number of hours they can work, or if they have settled or pre-settled status). To remain compliant, HR departments must handle sensitive personal data securely, ensure checks are conducted accurately, and stay up to date with changing immigration laws.

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Criminal Record Checks

Criminal Record Checks (CRC) are the process for verifying an individual's criminal history and checking for relevant convictions against the Police National Computer and other data sources, that may impact a candidate’s suitability for employment, therefore mitigating risk and allowing organisations to recruit with confidence. Criminal Record Checks are mandatory screening processes for any position involving work with children and vulnerable adults, and those typically working in legal, security, financial, healthcare industries. Thorough Criminal Record Checks that disclose inconsistent information about a candidate and employee protect an organisation's reputation, reduce risk and safeguards against potentially dangerous candidates and employees, and meet legislative requirements.

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Employee background checks

Employee background checks can help HR teams to ensure the suitability and integrity of potential employees. However, HR must be mindful and adhere to the relevant law and regulations governing background checks. There are instances where it is illegal to over-screen someone, such as carrying out an Enhanced Level CRC when you can only complete a Basic Level CRC. Consent from candidates, conducting checks in a fair and non-discriminatory manner, and handling sensitive personal data are some of the core aspects that HR should consider. It is of paramount importance that background checks are delivered by reputable and accredited background checking providers to ensure information is accurate, reliable and that they have a robust and stringent data supplier due diligence process and strong security controls.

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What background checks can Experian provide?

CV checks

Driving license checks

Reference checks

Personal, education and employment

Gap period and gap reference checks

Media and social media checks

Occupational history checks

Self-employment checks

Director's search

Identity checks

Qualification and professional body membership checks

International checks

Sanctions and adverse financial checks

Pre-employment screening for risk sectors

In risk sectors, such as industries that deal with sensitive information, security, financial services, healthcare, or childcare, it is important to conduct pre-employment screening on all employees. Pre-employment screening for risk sectors is likely to include identity verification, criminal history checks, and additional background checks. Background checks and verification processes are essential in various sectors such as schools and education, Home Office and Civil Service, security, finance, retail, technology, gas & oil, utilities, construction, retail, healthcare, legal, and multinationals to ensure safety, security, compliance, and risk management.

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Two colleagues looking over identity documents

Automated new hire vetting

Automated new hire vetting, also known as automated onboard screening, is the process of conducting background checks and identity verification procedures using technology and digital processing.

New hire automated vetting offers many potential benefits in terms of efficiency and accuracy in HR. Automation provides a significant reduction in manual administrative tasks and risk.

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Finance, gas and oil, utilities, and construction

Due to the nature of work, background checks may be required to verify the credentials, qualifications, and criminal history of employees or contractors in security-sensitive sectors such as defence, aviation, finance, gas and oil, utilities and construction.

For example, when hiring within the financial sector, HR could be required to comply with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations, including SM&CR requirements, as well as addressing fraud, money laundering, CIFAS checks, and PEPs and sanctions screenings.

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Schools and Education

It is a legal requirement that any employee working with access to children, young adults, and vulnerable persons is subject to DBS and background checks.

Additionally, in schools and educational institutions, background checks may also be required to prove the credentials and qualifications of teachers, staff, and volunteers to ensure they meet the standards for working with children. Strict Safeguarding rules apply.

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Cabinet/Home Offices and Civil Service

Individuals being considered for highly sensitive roles within government agencies will require a comprehensive background check to determine their integrity and suitability for the role e.g. BPSS, BS7858:2019, SC, DV and CTC screening.

Government Sponsors and Facility Security Clearance (FSC) and/or Industry Personnel Security Assurance (IPSA) contractors may also need to consider GPG45 IDVT requirements to verify the identities of employees or job applicants who have access to sensitive government information during their work in a government-related role.

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NHS and Healthcare Industry

To ensure patient safety and compliance with regulatory requirements in the healthcare sector, background checks are required to verify the qualifications, credentials, and criminal history of healthcare providers.

 Workers within the healthcare sector, such as NHS doctors and nurses, are subject to pre-employment and continued screening by HR before being considered for a position. CQC legislative guidelines must be strictly adhered to.

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Multinationals

Multinational corporations and companies must also conduct background checks for employees across various geographies and jurisdictions. This must comply with localised labour laws and regulations.

By adhering to these requirements, multinational organisations mitigate risks of fraud, theft, and misconduct while protecting the image and reputation of their brand.

Adverse Financial Checks

Financial checks are a type of pre-employment screening check that HR uses to identify any adverse financial events or red flags that may impact a candidate's suitability for a particular financial role or position. In the financial and banking sectors, adverse financial checks are critical to assess an individual's financial integrity and responsibility. This also applies to the insurance, real estate, investment, and retail sectors. An Adverse Financial Check is not to be confused with a credit check. It provides HR with an overview of a candidate's personal financial history (excluding a candidate’s credit score), and their payment history alongside any bankruptcies, CCJs, voluntary arrangements, excessive debts, and defaults. These checks are an effective method of reviewing a candidate’s ability to handle their finances and highlight any mismanagement, plus potentially reduce the risk of insider fraud, bribery and corruption and money laundering. In addition CIFAS and Global Sanctions Checks can be bolted on to ensure a full candidate/employee financial overview.

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More industries

Public Sector

Making small changes to the way you handle data can transform the way you serve your citizens in the government and social sectors.

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Banking and Financial Services

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Education

Discover new insights, refine staff and student onboarding, and avoid unnecessary risks by transforming your approach to higher education data management.

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