Two types of employment background checks are standard in the hiring process: DBS and credit checks. While these are an essential part of sensible hiring for high-stakes employment, they don’t cover what we call enhanced due diligence (EDD). Not only do you need the consent of the subject to conduct these checks, but you might also find that they leave out some crucial details.
Enhanced Due Diligence
EDD investigations provide comprehensive reports on just about every kind of activity imaginable. Conducting one means that you’ll have a detailed picture of who you’re about to welcome onto your team. It can be beneficial to get an idea of their online footprint and ensure that the information they’ve provided on their application is both correct and exhaustive.
You’d be surprised at the things a PI can find out about your potential employee. Many of our clients have narrowly avoided a corporate disaster by making use of this service. Read on to find out why we think EDD background screening is so important.
Employees of Good Character
Every employer wants a professional and honest person working in their office. A credit or a criminal background check can reveal a lot. Still, your prospective employee can be cleared on these even if they’re an unsavoury person. A PI can find out if there’s anything morally dubious in their past, even if it’s not fiscally irresponsible or criminal.
It doesn’t matter how experienced someone claims to be; if they have little regard for professional ethics, integrity, or honesty, it’s a bad idea to hire them. You’d never hire someone you knew was lying to you in an interview, so why would you disregard the possibility that a candidate could successfully fool you?
Some candidates might be particularly shameless and deceive you into believing they’re a good choice. By taking nothing a face value, you allow yourself to sidestep the tricks of silver-tongued interviewees. You won’t have to face the challenges of getting rid of an employee you don’t like if you have all the information you need before making the hiring decision.
Damage Limitation
You should view each potential employee as a financial risk, even if they aren’t officially privy to sensitive information. This level of caution might sound overdramatic, but it’s a real possibility that the person you hire will steal from you. They might have planned to embezzle from your company when they submitted their job application, or they may be an opportunistic thief.
Adding EDD to your screening process will uncover information about finances in ways that credit checks can’t. Likewise, even if your DBS check reveals spent convictions, it will miss details that we consider to be red flags. You should know whether the candidate has an undisclosed employment history or operates several social media accounts under different aliases. A PI can find out all of this information, and more, to ensure that your business and assets are protected from thieves.
Personal Safety
As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring the safety of your employees, customers, visitors, and vendors. Suppose you fail to do your due diligence and end up hiring a dangerous person. In that case, you might be looking at some severe legal consequences.
A background check will allow you to mitigate these risks and make informed hiring decisions. There are rare cases in which the employee proves to be a loose cannon despite a lack of background evidence. If you’re unlucky enough for this to happen to you, you’ll at least be able to show that you employed EDD in your pre-employment screening.
Job Competence
Lying about your credentials to get a job is a trick as old as time. In an attempt to get a competitive edge, it’s not uncommon for candidates to lie about or exaggerate their qualifications and job experience. When candidates have good communication and negotiation skills, they may successfully use confidence tricks to dupe you into hiring them. By making use of a private detective, you can verify their purported employment history as well as any qualifications they claim to have.
As an employer, the reputation of your organisation should be your priority. If you don’t know who you’re hiring, there could be dire consequences for the entire company. Private Investigations UK offers background checking services to guarantee a safe and effective recruitment process. For friendly advice and a free consultation, please call 0800 002 089.
