If you run a small or medium sized business, you will be well aware how busy your HR department can be, dealing with everything from disciplinaries to payroll. Often, pre-employment checks and screening can fall towards the bottom of the priority list, which means the checks are rushed or just overlooked altogether. Could outsourcing the checks to an external provider be the answer? We think it could be, and here are the ten key advantages of handing the responsibility over to someone else.
Time Saving
Doing background checking thoroughly and properly takes time. Pulling lots of data together from different sources can be a full-time job for someone. Deciding to outsource your pre-employment checks frees up your staff to turn their attention to other tasks.
Eliminate Bias
External background checkers don’t know your company and haven’t met the candidate at interview. They can therefore base their recommendations purely on the facts in front of them, rather than on impressions formed when meeting the candidate.
Compliance
Screening companies should be up to speed with the latest legislation around employment law and ensure that your checks are done legally and properly.
Quick Turnaround
Companies which do nothing, but background checking should have a streamlined process and efficient ways of working. They should be able to do things quicker than a HR department which is doing a range of different tasks simultaneously.
Expertise
People who run background checks as a profession develop a level of expertise and knowledge which isn’t achievable for someone who is trying to do background checking alongside a lot of other responsibilities too. Experienced screeners can also advise on the most appropriate strategy for your company and industry.
Data Protection
Compliance with data protection rules regarding processing data isn’t optional, and it’s easy to get things wrong. Using an external company should help you ensure that you are complying with your obligations under the law.
Software and Automation
Many screening companies have invested heavily in specialist software which allows automated screening, quickly and more efficiently. Often, the software is too expensive for smaller companies to invest in.
Privacy
Some applicants aren’t comfortable with having someone they are potentially going to work with seeing all of their personal details, criminal record or references. It may be reassuring for candidates to know that their checking is being done off-site, by a separate organisation, with staff who they will never meet or have to work with.
Accurate Results
Everyone makes mistakes, but most screening providers have put measures in place to guarantee that the information they provide is accurate and correct. This should reassure both recruiters and candidates, knowing that mistakes shouldn’t be made.
Minimisation of Risk
Using a screening company is the ultimate in peace of mind for your business. Choosing to use a professional screener is taking the best steps to eliminate the remote possibility that someone with a criminal record or dishonest character gets a job within your company and does untold damage to your reputation and finances.