The Key Benefits of Conducting Background Checks
This blog post takes a quick look at some of the ways that background screening can benefit HR professionals, by supporting their recruitment, retention, and risk management activities.
Companies worldwide that conduct background checks are continuing to see multiple benefits to their businesses. A better quality of hire, more consistent safety and security, and improved regulatory compliance are the most frequently cited benefits globally according to HireRight’s 2020 Global Benchmark Report, remaining consistent with our previous survey results.
This blog post takes a quick look at some of the ways that implementing a background screening programme could benefit HR professionals, by supporting the recruitment, retention, and risk management activities of global businesses.
A Better Quality of Hire
Globally, 57% of survey respondents listed a better quality of hire as a main benefit experienced from employment screening. This was most noticeable in the APAC region, where 61% of respondents cited this as a main benefit (including 71% of the respondents from India).
A better quality of hire could be attributed to many things:
Candidates having their credentials verified to ensure they can do the job they’re hired for
Candidates who don’t meet the required job specification may be deterred from applying if they know they will be screened
Candidates know that they won’t be able to get away with misrepresenting themselves on their CV/application forms
Candidates may be more likely to be open and transparent in an interview if they know their details will be checked at a later stage
A better quality of hire may not only impact workforce efficiency – it could also improve employee retention once they have joined. Employees who have the skills and experience to perform a job well may be less likely to either quit (if they feel they are not up to it), or have their employment terminated (if the employer doesn’t feel that they can do the job).
More Consistent Safety and Security
Across all regions, "more consistent safety and security" was ranked the second most common benefit seen from employment screening, with just under half (48%) of all participants globally stating this as one of the main benefits.
This could be due to several factors:
Background screening can help identify details of a candidate’s past that may make them unsuitable for your workplace
Rescreening and/or employee monitoring can help to keep you aware of any changes to your employees’ circumstances that may impact their ability to do their jobs
Background screening shows your candidates that you take your hiring due diligence seriously
Screening can also help you to protect the public image of your brand.
While pre-employment screening can help to verify that your candidates have the skills and experience required for their roles, ongoing rescreening (or post-employment screening/monitoring) can be an effective way to mitigate the ongoing risk of an organisation’s current workforce.
Improved Regulatory Compliance
Completing this trio of key benefits seen from companies that screen is improved regulatory compliance. This was the most frequently cited benefit in EMEA, reported by over half the respondents in this region. Improved regulatory compliance also ranked third in APAC and the U.S. and Canada, with 40% of respondents in each region stating it as a main benefit.
Global background screening can become rather complicated, especially if you’re managing it in-house, and companies with a global footprint are continuing to face a number of challenges when it comes to screening workers with international backgrounds.
Almost half of the survey respondents from EMEA and APAC (46%) said that understanding international laws and regulations was one of their main compliance concerns. It’s important to partner with a global screening provider who can help you navigate these issues – particularly one who understands the nuances of screening regulations applicable to its provision of services in different countries.
Our 2020 Global Benchmark Report includes 17 compliance overviews for countries within the EMEA and APAC regions, as well as a deep dive into some of the key compliance issues that are currently impacting background screening in the U.S.
To find out more about the global employment screening landscape, download HireRight’s 2020 Global Benchmark Report.
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Release Date: November 18, 2020
HireRight
HireRight is a leading provider of on-demand employment background checks, drug and health screening, and electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solutions that help employers automate, manage and control background screening and related programs.