Prevention is Better Than Cure

With Halloween upon us, we are reminded of the fear of hiring an undesirable or of having an undesirable currently in your business that you wish had never been hired.

These fears can be prevented. At Procius we assist hundreds of businesses with their pre-employment background screening policies by improving the standard and completeness of each check, to safeguard their customers, staff and reputation by preventing costly hiring mistakes.

‘Prevention is Better Than Cure’ is our series of useful tips and advice that we have gained over the years and would like to share with you.

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Having a 2 reference check or a ‘one process fits all’ policy, is no longer considered as adequate and can leave your business, staff and customers exposed to violence in the workplace, fraud, theft and non-compliance. Mopping up the effects of such policies can be very time consuming and costly.

PREVENTION | is better than cure…

On the other hand, these threats can be greatly reduced or removed altogether by developing a ‘best practice’ pre-employment screening policy, which is proportionate to the risk-profile of your business. This means setting the bar high enough to deter the undesirables, but not too high as to alienate the right people.

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You have a background screening policy that suits the various requirements within your business. You’ve invested time creating a balanced and achievable job spec for the role in question, written a compelling  job advert and paid a considerable sum to advertise on the best channels to attract the ‘creme de la creme’! You’re overwhelmed with the amount of CV’s that you have received from candidates or via your recruitment agencies. After investing more time and resource, you’ve filtered the CV’s down to a week’s worth of interviewing time and then, finally, after second or third-round interviews you have your new employee ready for background screening. Finding out at this late stage that they have not been totally honest with you leaves you in a difficult situation. Can you afford to invest more time and money into repeating the process to find another candidate? Can you cope with the long-term effects of employing someone who might have a negative impact on your business (and ultimately lead to a costly firing)?

PREVENTION | is better than cure…

It’s important to have a screening policy, but  how you implement it is key in preventing you from difficult decisions and costly hiring mistakes, as well as in to saving you an enormous amount of time and resource during the whole hiring process.  You need to implement your policy at every stage of your recruitment process. To maximise its benefits, clearly state wherever practical that all new hires will be subject to background checks. Mention this in job advertisements, on application forms and during interviews. This is a powerful deterrent to discourage the wrong people and it also encourages people to be honest and open about their abilities, resulting in less spiel and saving you time, money and regret. Learn More

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Many companies take the view that they only need to run background checks for regulated roles or only if they have reservations about a particular candidate. Many employers feel that if a person has been recommended by another employee or via an agency, a candidate has somehow been pre-qualified for the role and is trusted. Historically, word of mouth recommendations went a long way. This situation can once again leave your company very exposed to the risks of a bad hire.

PREVENTION | is better than cure…

It is vital to make your background check policy mandatory for everyone. This ensures that no one will slip through the net. Regardless of if they are a ‘best mate’ being vouched for by an existing employee or they have come through a trusted employment agency, make everyone in the company aware of the benefits of background checking, from safeguarding your staff and customers to reputational damage that can be caused by hiring the wrong person. Learn More

Procius’ background checking solutions are available for all sectors and are customised to suit your particular requirements  – saving you valuable time and money.

For more information on our background checks, talk to us today on 01256 487 887