The rise of continuous background checks
Continuous background checks for employees have evolved from a niche practice into a standard procedure across numerous industries. This shift reflects a growing recognition of the importance of proactive risk management. Organisations are increasingly embracing ongoing screening to enhance security and meet ever-tightening regulatory requirements.
What are continuous background checks?
Continuous background checks are usually an automated process where an organisation conducts on-going monitoring on important vetting criteria of an employee. This can be done on manual basis, however, is extremely labour intensive, so most businesses choose to partner with a vetting software which provides automated background checking.
An automated vetting platform helps employers conduct regular background checks on employees and stay informed about critical changes in areas such as:
Criminal records: This check will enable you to find out about new arrests, criminal charges, or convictions.
Driving license: Conducting regular DVLA checks allows you to see any new traffic violations, license suspensions, or DUIs.
Credit or financial history: FCA checks are particularly important for roles requiring financial trust, such as a CFO, updates like bankruptcies might be included when conducting this check.
Why is continuous monitoring so important?
Conducting regular and continuous background checks are especially important within certain industries, such as healthcare, aviation, and finance, who all operate under stringent regulatory requirements for employee screening to ensure risk is mitigated. By using a vetting software to do real time employee monitoring it ensures organisations meet these legal requirements and avoid any penalties.
As well as keeping you compliant, continuous screening greatly enhances your overall security. Using real time observing of your employees means that you are notified of any important changes to things such as criminal record changes, changes with financial circumstances, traffic violations and so on.
In a competitive landscape, positioning your company as a proactive and safety conscious business sets you apart from companies who don’t take continuous screening as seriously. This not only showcases your business to customers but also helps attract the best possible talent to work with you.
How do continuous background checks work in VettingGateway?
VettingGateway offers a wide range of background checks including criminal record checks, digital right to work checks, employer reference checks, social media checks, identity checks, DVLA checks, adverse financial checks and many more.
If you’re already leveraging the power of VettingGateway, you can seamlessly integrate continuous background checks into your existing vetting workflow! Our expert support team are here to guide you every step of the way. We will help you determine which background checks best align with your business needs and then work closely with you to effortlessly set them up.
According to research, from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, over 75% of malicious acts against businesses were carried out by employees whose loyalty had changed after becoming employed.
As mentioned in the statistic above, many industries and companies are now beginning to understand the significant benefits that continuous screening has for keeping employees, customers and their business safe from unnecessary risks and choosing to implement it without legal necessity to do so.
The difference between pre-employment checks and continuous background checks
Pre-employment checks are a staple part of the recruitment process for the vast majority of businesses. A small number of businesses will conduct this process manually, however most businesses choose to partner with an trusted software solution, that ensures the checks remain in-house, but automates and streamlines the process.
The main difference between pre-employment checks and continuous vetting is the timing of when they are conducted. Pre-employment checks are usually conducted when a new employee is hired. Whereas continuous background checks will be conducted at various times throughout employment usually including key standards which an employee or contractor must uphold to continue to be in employment with a company.
On-going employee monitoring in practice
Below is an example of how continuous background checking can benefit an organisation:
Alan Brown works in a senior role within a security organisation. When he first started working at the company they undertook a full automated background check, which he passed with flying colours. This was however three years ago, and unfortunately since then Alan has been charged with a crime that could directly impact him working within his senior role at the security organisation.
The security organisation has on-going employee monitoring set up and are notified of this charge and potential conviction. They are able to be proactive and put in place the processes needed to mitigate the risks surrounding this, keeping not only the business safe, but customers and colleagues too.
With an ever-growing number of companies being held to account for ensuring that they keep their employees and customers safe, and as technology continues to evolve, so too will the capabilities of continuous background checks. Organisations that embrace this proactive approach will be better positioned to make smarter, faster, and safer hiring decisions.
If you would like to find out more about VettingGateway or learn how our background checking software can transform the way you manage risk and compliance, get in touch today.
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