There is a massive issue today across the entire UK security industry. With highly dubious training SIA licence providers “selling” pass certificates, cloned licence cards and organised crime are helping individuals get work in an industry they are not qualified for. It is becoming harder than ever to ensure that the person you are hiring is being truthful about everything they say. All of that makes tackling hiring fraud an essential strategy for the UK security industry.
Understanding BS7858: The British Standard for Security Vetting
The British Standard for candidate vetting, BS7858, plays a massive part in ensuring that those that are not entitled to work in the industry, do not end up being deployed by unsuspecting employers. This level of vetting is time consuming, can be fraught with problems, and can still be circumvented by determined and organised fraudsters.
Recommended Reading: Learn to conduct proper candidate screening with this Comprehensive Guide to Background Checks.
The Challenges of Vetting Overseas Candidates
With so many front-line security officers now coming from overseas, it is increasingly difficult to positively verify their history and background. This often causes delays in onboarding that are frustrating for all concerned. The difficulty of verification can also sometimes lead to the termination of a security officer for not passing vetting before the completion of their probationary period. This is a growing problem since it’s directly related to hiring fraud.
A Real-Life Vetting Horror Story: Lessons Learned
I did a stint helping out our HR team a few years ago when we had to mass recruit for a big new contract. One chap had provided a contact name and direct telephone number for a former employer that covered most of the time we needed to verify.
The result? I called him, and he indeed verified the information we had been given. Alarm bells were raised, however, as the contact didn’t use a company name when answering the phone to an unknown number. An hour digging about on the internet and a few somewhat awkward phone calls later, I spoke to an HR administrator in the company our security officer said he used to work for.
Low and behold, they had never heard of the individual and sent me an email confirming that nobody by the name of our chap, had ever worked for them. It was time-consuming—but how many stressed HR admins would have taken the named contact’s word as satisfactory verification only to regret it later?
Ultimately, preventing hiring fraud starts with doing your due diligence before you hire someone. This makes proper channels of candidate screening, especially in compliance with BS7858 vetting standards, a necessary part of the hiring process for security employers.
The Rise of Third-Party Vetting Services: Are They All Equal?
Relatively recently, there has been a sharp increase in the number of third-party companies offering external vetting services. There are now robust technologies available which allow online remote document checking and verification. The cost of these services can vary wildly and with many companies starting up one week and seemingly disappearing the next, just how thorough and professional are the checks that they perform?
Introducing GuardCheck: A Game-Changer in Security Vetting
Now, the clever people behind the massive GuardPass app, have a cost effective, efficient, and best of all, completely BS7858 compliant solution: GuardCheck.
Whether you need a single new recruit fully vetted, or an intake of 100, GuardCheck offers a simple and professional service, providing absolute peace of mind, and freeing up your HR team to focus on the all important issues of staff welfare and development.
How GuardCheck Ensures BS7858 Compliance
As an essential tool that helps employers tackle hiring fraud, GuardCheck gets the job done fast. Their multilingual teams are able to tear down language barriers, and have experience in the regions that they reach out to, so they can identify issues or discrepancies quickly. They also have the time to chase up unresponsive former employers, and are experienced in finding the right people to talk to, to get application form claims verified.
Speed and Accuracy: Why GuardCheck Stands Out
The GuardCheck team is highly trained in document verification and any potential variance from the expected, is immediately flagged for further investigation. SIA licences are also carefully checked and verified to ensure that all officially held information perfectly aligns with the details of the individual presenting the ID.
Save Time, Money, and Stress with GuardCheck
GuardPass has been around for years, providing useful and effective business tools for UK security companies, and the GuardCheck service very much underlines the reputation for excellence that they now enjoy. During your next wave of recruiting, don’t risk surfing the net looking for a decent external vetting service, save time, money, and the inevitable stress, and talk to GuardPass.
Simplify and strengthen your security recruitment process by partnering with GuardPass today. Post jobs, vet candidates, and scale up your team all on one platform.