Common Mistakes Employers Make with Employee Background Verification

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   1. Mistake 1: Consent – Because It’s Background Check, Not Spying
   2. Mistake 2: The “One Size Fits All” Approach
   3. Mistake 3: The Automation Conundrum
   4. Mistake 4: “Social Media Will Do the Job” Belief
   5. Mistake 5: ‘We Can Manage on Our Own’ Viewpoint
   6. Mistake 6: You Don’t Let the Candidates Explain
   7. Mistake 7: Other Employee Background Check Mistakes That Shouldn’t be Ignored
2. In Conclusion

Introduction

Employee Background Verification ensures safety at the workplace, but only if it’s conducted flawlessly. With a foolproof employee background screening in place, a business can identify false claims made by the candidates and eliminate activities that would be detrimental to the brand’s reputation. 

While employee background verification is gaining popularity with every passing year, many companies still make these mistakes during their employee background check and end up with a bad hire. Listed below are common screening mistakes made by employers and how they can be avoided.

Mistake 1: Consent – Because It’s Background Check, Not Spying

The first and most common employee background verification mistake is skipping the consent part. As a hiring manager, the responsibility to take background check consent from the potential candidates falls on your shoulders. Disclosing in writing to the candidate that they will be subject to a verification process is part of compliance that organizations must strictly adhere to. 

Mistake 2: The “One Size Fits All” Approach

Having the exact same employee background erification process for all the employee levels is futile. Hiring risks differ at every organization level. For instance, before hiring a delivery partner, driver search history should be a part of their background check in India. Whereas criminal background verification is a must for candidates applying for the finance department of the company. It is, therefore, advised to set relevant background check processes and standards for each employee level of the organization to keep discrimination and bad hires at bay.

Mistake 3: The Automation Conundrum

“Should we rely completely on automation techniques for the background check? Or should we just ditch technology and do the task manually?” This is one such query that looms over the head of many hiring managers. While they choose one of the two options and end up with inaccurate data for decision making, it is highly recommended to strike a balance between automation and manual scrutiny for employee background verification. 

In this digital era, it’s a mistake to ignore technology completely. Automation techniques boost human efficiency and help in overcoming hiring challenges. Having mentioned that no technology can replace human efforts. A team of background check specialists is essential to lay the cornerstone of background verification success. With their expertise, they carry out background checks in India that meets the organization’s needs.

Mistake 4: “Social Media Will Do the Job” Belief

Social media platforms have a lot to reveal about the potential candidates. These platforms should be considered by hiring personnel and background verification companies for employee verification. But informally searching on social media invites issues related to discrimination to slide into the hiring process. 

While exploring the social profiles of candidates, a company may catch unawares of their likes, dislikes, disabilities, the status of the family, etc. With the knowledge of these personal details, unconscious bias can easily manipulate the hiring decision. On the whole, it is better to make social media a part of your verification process regime but not rely on it solely to hire or reject a potential candidate.

Mistake 5: ‘We Can Manage on Our Own’ Viewpoint

Many companies hold this viewpoint that background and reference check is an effortless process. And therefore, they can handle it on their own without any external help. With such a belief they just throw caution to the wind. Not only do they increase the risk of a bad hire, but they also compromise the safety of the workplace and their culture. 

With their expertise, a background verification company eliminates risks involved in the hiring process to a great extent. Further, the professionalism that these companies bring onboard helps employers acquire the best of talents. Here’s how a professional background verification company benefits.

• Accurate and complete employee background verification reports.
• Filtering irrelevant information and focusing on the relevant details for educated decisions.
• Eliminating errors and mistakes from the background check process.
• Helping companies staying abreast with the compliance changes.

Considering the aforementioned benefits, it’s a mistake not to hire a background check company for the verification of new hires.

Mistake 6: You Don’t Let the Candidates Explain

Yes, there is a criminal record. Yes, there are blemishes on the record of the candidate as per the background check. But if that’s a candidate with an excellent record in other areas, they deserve a chance. Perhaps these are the candidates who have a rough patch in their past. But that doesn’t call for a direct no. They may have an explanation that could make their criminal record less shocking. If you are confident about the other records, give these candidates a chance to explain. Well, the explanation might benefit both of you.

Other Employee Background Check Mistakes That Shouldn’t be Ignored

While the aforementioned mistakes come with their own cost, here are some background check mistakes an employer must always try to avoid.

• Not conducting international checks for employees or candidates with a global employment or educational record. International check also reveals if the candidate has any international criminal record.
• Inconsistency in screening (Screening some of the applicants and not all of them).
• Ignoring the process of adverse action.
• Prolonging the background check process.
• Not staying up-to-date with the changes in compliance policies.
   

In Conclusion

These screening and background verification mistakes lead to bad hires, who in turn, could severely affect your workplace, culture, and organization as a whole. Background Check in India before hiring people must be conducted meticulously to mitigate risks related to hiring and compliance. Be diligent about the verification process to steer clear of any complex HR situation. Or let a professional background check company make the task of employee background verification as smooth as silk for you.