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Background Verification - A Necessity or a safe guard Practice?

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Sudeep Kumar Sen is the Vice President at Gi group, India. With more than two decades of experience, Mr. Sudeep Specializes in sales force planning, hiring, training, productivity matrix development and implementation. His passion for scale and innovative thinking has contributed to the remarkable growth of several large business conglomerates. He is a well known speaker and a frequent contributor to prominent HR Journals.

Background verification as a qualifier to get a job has sunk into the mind of the candidates today and even the array of background checks has also increased or the learning for the past have made organization further add to the list and it shall further evolve with time to come. A question is often asked in the enterprise units, is BGV a necessity or more of a safe guard practice, well the debate can be always on and there will be series of views on the same subject, however we have seen the need of the same and how it has evolved and the benefits of the same, another aspect is the fear factor, perhaps Background is applicable in most of the job, guess it adds to the fear of not doing un-lawful practices and be on the receiving end and thus we have it as good control ingredient of professional life as well.

Benefits as an employer
In today’s fast-track, highly competitive job market, it is crucial to deeply and thoroughly study, understand and check on the profile of the job applicants to ensure the safety and security of employees and the organization as a whole. It helps to uncover the truth about the job seekers and professional engagement aspirants and it the first step of the process is to verify the information shared or provided by the job aspirants. This includes checking employment history, education, and criminal records. This helps to confirm that the candidate is telling the truth about their qualifications and background, and reduces the risk of hiring someone who has falsified information in their resume.

Safety of the employees and Organization
Another critical and important aspect for insisting and performing background verification is to ensure the safety of employees and the organization. For example, if a candidate has a criminal record, it may pose a risk to the safety and security of others in the workplace. In such cases, it is important to be aware of the candidate's background to make informed decisions about their suitability for the role. Additionally, background verification helps to mitigate the risk of liability and protects the organization from lawsuits. For example, if a candidate with a history of theft is hired and steals from the organization, the company may be held liable. By conducting background checks, organizations can reduce the risk of such incidents occurring. Finally, background verification can also help to protect the reputation of the organization. A negative incident involving a new hire can quickly tarnish the reputation of the company, and this can be difficult to recover. By conducting background checks, organizations can reduce the risk of hiring someone who may bring harm to the organization.

Fear of God and thus a cleaner environment
With the awareness of background verification and the usage of the same as an elimination process in jobs, candidates are also careful about their conduct at work, during the exit process and even thereafter as they know the impact it can have in their career. Thus, it has also helped in having a much cleaner work environment, exceptions aside.

Technology
With the advent of the tools in place, technology is playing a key role in the overall process of BGV, having said that technology cannot completely manage it, there will need of human beings to do certain processes and many a times to think differently and conclude however, it helps in terms of fast tracking the otherwise slow-paced mundane administrative activities involved in it, helps organizations to make informed decisions about hiring, protects the safety and security of employees, reduces the risk of liability, and protects the reputation of the organization. By taking the time to verify the backgrounds of job applicants, organizations can ensure that they are making the best hiring decisions for their business.

To save time, costs, efforts and eliminate any kind of fraud – fake certificates, absconding, not serving notice period impersonation etc., BGV is a mandatory check and will only see more variety in it as we lead towards the 2030 and thereafter.

Types of BGV
Largely there are 6 Types of Background Verification for New Hires which are commonly used in corporate and business houses -
1. Candidate History.
2. Criminal Records
3. Credit Score
4. Social Media Profile
5. Personal Background
6. Professional License

Who does these BGV’s –
There are many firms in the marked with exceptional competency in performing the back-ground verification checks and bringing accurate information on the table in a quickest possible TAT. As they are the specialists, it is always wise to engage such a service provider and it helps in terms of authenticity, scalability and a long-term association.