Member Article

How can your business benefit from conducting DBS checks?

Criminal Background Checks, also known as CRBs or DBSs (Disclosure and Barring Service), are synonymous with working in sectors with any element of child protection or the safety of vulnerable people. DBS checks are, put simply, traces that are carried out to ensure an individual is legally entitled to do the job they are applying for. Potential employers assess the results and make a decision based on the findings. DBS checks aren’t however purely an entitlement for employers dealing in child welfare. More and more commonplace nowadays are DBS checks for jobs in finance, anything which involves the data protection act, and roles which include any form of trust. Be aware of the possible benefits of this, but also make sure you protect yourself legally at all times.

What can I gain from running checks on my staff?

A DBS check is the first line of defence against employment problems. It’s the opening salvo in the quest to ensure you’re getting the right people through your door to do the job in hand. Below, we’ll list a few possible reasons why you could benefit from running background checks on potential and current employees.

1) It puts off ‘chancers’. An estimated 20-50% of applicants tell fibs on their application. The temptation to lie on a CV is one which has appealed to most of us. When you really want that job, you’ll do anything you can to enhance your credentials. From educational history to vocational qualifications, manipulating a couple of details doesn’t seem to be a huge problem. While these things are relatively minor, running a check guards against those who haven’t disclosed more important information. If a person with a chequered background sees that the job application involves a check, they may even decide to not apply altogether and you may have escaped a potential problem.

2) Financial benefits. Employee fraud costs UK companies an estimated £2bn per year (Source: Experian). Issues such as identity theft, hiring people with inadequate qualifications, and replacing such people, can prove to be expensive processes. If, for example, you hire an individual without checking their legal right to work in the UK, you stand to be fined up to £20,000.

3) Peace of mind. By running background checks, you are allowing yourself the knowledge that, from a legal standpoint, you are employing safely vetted people. You are safeguarding your company against the problems listed above.

What to watch out for.

Naturally you don’t have the legal right to go digging around in somebody’s private and personal life. There is a huge amount of protection for the employee, so make sure you know what you are and are not entitled to do when conducting such checks. Unless there is specific need to check somebody’s criminal record for a job (eg if they will be working with children) it is against the law to refuse a person a job on the basis of their criminal history. For further information on the DBS process, visit Personnel Checks

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Heather Gilroy .