Q Do we really need to screen our employees?
A Every company, regardless of its size, has a duty of care to check the backgrounds of new hires in order to protect fellow employees, customers, clients or shareholders. In addition pre-employment screening will help you adhere to important legislation such as the Immigration and Asylum Act, which can lead to facing large fines if the process is not followed correctly. Having pre-employment screening in place will reduce the length of the recruitment process, relieve the workload of HR teams and ensure that you have the right information and intelligence to appoint the right person. The costs associated with a bad hire can range from fines, reputational damage, or the lasting cost of intellectual theft.
Q Is screening employees a legal requirement?
A For certain roles and industries pre-employment checks are necessary by law. However, every employer in the UK is subject to right to work legislation which means that they have to prove they have checked a candidate’s eligibility to work before employment. The Inkerman Group can undertake validity checks on right to work documents and issue the results in a report compliant with the legislation. Our team are expert in the legal requirements applicable to each industry and will provide advice on this to make sure your recruitment process is fully compliant.
Q Our HR team currently manage our pre-employment screening, what benefit is there from outsourcing?
A There are several benefits to your company from outsourcing screening processes. Firstly, it will save your HR team significant amounts of time, as they will no longer have to chase and record references, and can focus on more business critical issues. The benefit of this is two-fold, as you will find that your recruitment process is accelerated as the results of our checks are issued in defined timelines and in an easy to read report. Secondly, we find candidates respond better to an independent screening company, as it provides an objectivity which may not be present otherwise. Finally, our processes are designed to meet legislation such as the data protection act and screening standards, which internal teams may not be aware of, or have the time to apply.
Q What makes The Inkerman Group different from any other screening company?
A We have been established in the pre-employment screening sector for twenty years, and our team are extremely experienced in this area, with backgrounds in intelligence. We also have all the resources of an in-house due diligence and corporate intelligence team to draw on, so our reports include a much higher level of detail than would be achieved otherwise. Additionally, our approach is based completely on providing a bespoke solution to each client, so we will review your internal recruitment processes and discuss the best possible options with your teams, rather than directing you to a limited range of discreet packages. You can also be assured that we work to a very high standard, being ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 accredited.
Q What contact do you have with candidates?
A Basically, as little or as much contact as is necessary. Our process is based on an online form to be filled in by the candidates, which is intuitive and easy to use. We can have degrees of involvement with the candidates being screened, from managing the entire process of collecting information from them and following up if extra details are required directly, or informing internal client departments of any issues to be dealt with instead. Our team is aware that starting a new job can often be a turbulent and stressful time for candidates, so any dialogue is conducted in a sensitive manner and is kept to a minimum where possible. We find in most cases that once the information has been completed online, there is no further requirement for us to be in contact. We operate a 24/7 helpdesk facility for candidates if they have any questions, logging every call to maintain a comprehensive case history for every candidate.