printer friendly version

Employee screening trends

Conferences and exhibitions are back, and learning abounds. At iFacts, we have been attending local and international events and brought back some fascinating information for the office and our clients.

Sonya Skipp and Jenny Reid attended the most significant international employee screening conference and exhibition in Denver, USA. Skipp said that it is worth attending the PBSA conference because it helped to understand the global impact that employee screening had on preventing the insider threat on businesses.

She pointed out that while criminal record checks continued to be the most sought-after international background check, there were lots of legal, operational, and access challenges while conducting these checks throughout the world. Considerations companies should make when looking at services provided by such companies should not only be on pricing; they also should look at:

1. How secure is the platform used by the screening company?

2. The turnaround time for checks – clients need to ensure it is working for them and enhancing their recruitment policy. Better speed equals faster growth.

3. Customer support from employee screening companies is critical.

4. Input from the employee screening company on what checks enhance their recruitment was essential to widen the perception of an adequate background check. More companies are embracing psychometric and personality tests, and social media risk assessments.</a>

Some of the statistics from the recent local and international conferences were:

• 59% were concerned about turnaround times.

• 17% were worried about the cost.

• 9% were concerned about accuracy and ensuring that the correct applicant was being reported on. Skipp reaffirmed that at iFacts, before any check conducted on a South African subject, the company conducted an ID verification check to confirm that the ID number matched the candidate’s details in the South African Home Affairs database.

• 61% of companies considered changing their service provider in the short term.

• 44% of South Africans will not be able to pay at least one of their current bills or loans within the next three months.

• One in five new hires are regretted:

• Because the candidates do not meet the culture of the company.

• Companies’ recruitment policies are not updated to ensure the correct person is recruited.

• There is no link between a business’s needs and its hiring process, and often, the advertisement for the position does not portray the right message to the candidate.

• While it is often said that Human Resources is not in touch with the company policies and vision, it has also been found that there is often no relationship between the recruitment area and HR management.

• 75% of recruiters believe that technology will play a more prominent role in their hiring process in the year ahead, which may lead to more automation in the recruitment process. With the automation, it should be remembered that consideration must be given to the following:

• While enhancing the recruitment process, the people side of the business must not be lost. Where an automated online interview takes place, the set-up must consider the company culture, and results must be read with that in mind.

• Basic information about candidates, easily verifiable by integrating the Applicant Tracking System with the automated employee screening process. The screening process can be phased, with the first phase conducting verification of the basic requirements of the candidate and the position. Further phases can allow for psychometric, integrity or social media risk assessments. The employee screening programme must address the risk of the organisation.

Click here to read the 2022 iFacts Employee Screening Trends report for further information or contact iFacts

Share this article:

Further reading: