Here at KONCHECK, it is our ongoing effort to capture attention about the pressing need for background checks and national police checks.
Through the illustration of a story in today’s post, we will see why not only pre-employment screening but periodical re-screening of existing employees is also necessary. Moreover, how background checks can aid integrity, trust and ultimately lead to success for a business.
But before we get into nitty-gritty…
Let us take a quick peek into a small incident that happened recently. We shall name the lead character of this episode John. The reason he shall not be named isn’t because of any association with a high-profile matter. On the contrary, John is a simple guy with a simple job in the IT sector, and with a limited social circle.
Amid the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 - John thought of earning extra and saving for a rainy day just in case. While he was working as a full-time employee (in Company A), he applied and got selected in a SME. Little did he know (or probably didn’t consider) the consequences & dire situation he was about to fall in.
Everything went well for the first couple of weeks. Then, the HR from the new workplace called John’s previous company (Company A) regarding his employment verification and then everything went down from there.
He was called by the HR team lead and was confronted about his double-employment situation. John’s little secret of working in two organisations at the same time couldn’t remain grounded.
John was able to pull off the stunt because of the work from home leverage given by companies amid the global COVID-19 outbreak.
Not to mention that he left the recently joined enterprise, but more shockingly what happened to his role in company A? Did he get fired? Did he voluntarily leave the company? Did he face any legal action taken by the company? Well, the thing to learn from it was:
- It was a foolish move on John’s part to think that he could deceive both companies [of course, in the present scenario, Company A loses integrity and trust in him], and
- It was a good practice that the HR individual conducted the background check. What if the process was skipped?
Well, this was just a double-employment incident that surfaced, but it could’ve been worse if the employee’s background verification came back with criminal charges or violations against law.
People provide fraudulent documents with misleading credentials which can break the image of a company. If background checks are not conducted thoroughly, it may pose a serious threat.
More importantly, by skipping re-screening of employees, companies may inadvertently also be welcoming fraud, theft, embezzlement, or even workplace violence. Thus, not only pre-hire background checks are necessary but from time to time companies should indulge in compliance by re-screening existing employees as well.
What is a Background Check What Will
Re-screening Employees Do?
A background check is a process a person or company uses to verify that an individual is who they claim to be, and this provides an opportunity to check and confirm the validity of someone's criminal record, education, employment history, and other activities from their past.
Performing employment re-screening can:
- Promote safe & secure workplace environment
- Help employers take an informed placement call
- Help organisations to comply with industry regulations
What Does A Pre-employment Background Check Include?
It is up to the employer to decide which information to retrieve from a background check. Usually, the components include criminal history checks, driver checks, employment records, academic checks, license verification, credit information, etc. It may also cover drug testing, physical and medical assessments.
Why Conduct Background Checks?
Background checks are conducted for many reasons but are not limited to compliance, licensing and employment, laws and regulations, etc. It also helps companies to segregate the most qualified candidate and avoid the risk of hiring the wrong prospect.
Today, we live in a world where information spreads like wildfires. Negative news about a company where there was a theft, fraud, violence, or any such activity happens - rest assured the company’s image will be badly hammered, possible financial loss, as well as a lawsuit.
Why Use a Professional Screening Company?
Professional screening companies adhere to the State National laws put in place to maintain privacy as well as to protect the rights of consumers.
KONCHECK is a National police check service provider providing the NCCHC (National Coordinated Criminal History Check) certificate within 1-2 business days.
It is accredited by the ACIC (Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission) and hence can deliver national police checks Australia-wide whether you need National police check SA, National police check NSW, Police check QLD, etc.
Once again, this is our effort to promote awareness of the importance of screening to companies and institutions whether public or private.