Whatever you decide to call the screening process in your company – a background check, a CV check, an integrity check, a security check, a compliance check or a reputation check – employee screening is ultimately about making sure that the statements made by a candidate during the recruitment process are true. Nevertheless your focus should be at all times on employee experience during this process.
It’s easy to see why this type of verification can be of strategic importance to an employer. Employees are the foundation of any organization’s success and hiring mistakes are often estimated to cost between half a yearly salary and four yearly salaries depending on the position. Unfortunately, when screening is not implemented in a standardized and transparent manner within an organization, the process can be a negative and tedious experience for both the candidates and the potential employer.
The purpose of this article is to give the reader some tools to create an environment of trust in the background check, which will be a healthy basis to start the working relationship in a serene and confident way.
1. Define the needs beforehand
Screening is a process which, in order to be relevant and to avoid differences in treatment, must be applied to candidates and employees in a systematic and standardized way. As an employer, it is up to you to define “risk” categories based on various sensitive criteria that are related to the position, such as access to sensitive data or infrastructures, interaction with vulnerable people, decision making authority or media exposure.
The extent of the screening should be decided according to the risk class assigned to each position, not according to the specific background of the person. This will also help protect your organization from possible accusations of discrimination.
2. Be transparent
In an ideal scenario, the employer, will mention the need for the employee to be screened as part of the recruitment process as soon as the job offer is published. Firstly, this will ensure the cooperation of the candidate, who will thus be psychologically prepared to undergo the exercise, and will experience the screening as a step that will bring him/her closer to the position he/she is seeking. Secondly, being transparent as soon as the offer is published will avoid receiving applications from people who are not ready to invest the necessary efforts for the position, and/or know that the result of the verification will not show them in a favorable light, therefore avoiding wasting time and energy.
Once the screening process is underway, take the time to explain the process to the candidate in order to answer any questions they may have, and to follow up regularly to keep them informed about the progress of their file. To ensure this, we recommend that you use a qualified person or a trusted partner who will be able to listen to your employees and respond to their requests and concerns.
3. Discuss the results
Once the background check has been carried out and a final report has been drawn up, it is advisable to discuss it with the candidate in question, especially when it concerns elements that you have identified as risk factors. A report, no matter how complete, can only give a glimpse into a person’s life or part of it. The only way to get a complete picture is to give the applicant the possibility to comment and discuss a potentially risk-indicating outcome, as well as solutions, in an open manner. Finally, whatever the results are, make sure that you apply a consistent decision-making procedure to inspire trust in your organization as a responsible employer.
4. Use a single point of contact
Background checks can be experienced as an intrusive procedure, depending on one’s sensitivity. This feeling will only be reinforced if the candidate must deal with new interlocutors at each stage of his/her file.
In fact, building trust between the person carrying out the verifications (screener) and the candidates is a long process that requires a great deal of listening and empathy.
This trust becomes almost impossible when a new person intervenes at each step of the process: employees no longer know who to contact within the structure handling their dossier.
In addition to the loss of trust caused by the presence of multiple interlocutors, the quality of verifications could be impacted in terms of consistency of records and information if different people handle each verification step separately.
5. Digitalize the process
It can be time-consuming and costly for both employee and employer to submit, obtain and pay for the appropriate confirmations and documents needed to complete a dossier without errors. It is therefore highly recommended to digitalize the process via a secure application. This will allow for best practices in terms of employee authorisation, transparency and personal data management, including data retention and deletion. This will greatly enhance employee experience.
In conclusion, if you want to implement a background check for your employees, it is essential for your organization to be consistent, transparent and respectful in order to ensure employees and candidates understand and embrace the screening process. The few points outlined above will also help keep your candidate at the center of the screening process, ensure a positive experience and thus enhance your company’s reputation and brand as an employer.
Date of publication: 24.01.2022
Author: Marc Tinguely
