The 54 percent of employers’ attribute more consistent safety and security to their screening program while it indicated 53 per cent of employers find criminal discrepancies during their background screening process.
In the wake of identity fraud and several malpractices occurring in the job market, background checks of prospective employees have assumed a prominent position. Businesses must begin to take background checks seriously before offering employment to prevent loss of reputation or even closures.
Employers must take precautionary measures to screen candidates before offering them employment. Experts have said that most businesses, especially in Nigeria, have high talent standards, but are challenged by limited resources.
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A lot of businesses in Nigeria have fallen victim to scams from deceptive employees. Only these firms know the effect such scams and deceptions have had on their operations and would do anything to avoid them in the future.
Experts have further explained that it is the utmost responsibility of every company to know who they indeed have on board. This will curtail potential employment risks and also aid the company in maintaining a good reputation.
As long as potential employees are honest with the information provided on their resumes and understand their rights, they have nothing to worry about. The extensiveness of a background checks depends on the employer, company, and the job involved.
For instance, most bank hires require a high security clearance and thorough background screening to check whether the potential hire has a history of embezzlement or theft, amongst others.
HireRight – a global background screening service solution, released its 2021 Global Benchmark Report which revealed that 65 percent of employees say the leading benefit of background checks is a better quality of hire.
The 54 percent of employers’ attribute more consistent safety and security to their screening program while it indicated 53 per cent of employers find criminal discrepancies during their background screening process.
The report also found that a better quality of hire was identified as a benefit of background screening more broadly in many countries than in 2020.
According to Human Resources experts, it was one of the most effective ways to protect businesses from employee potential issues. It remains an integral part of the hiring process, they further said. Analysts have also indicated that comprehensive background checks can prevent negligent hiring lawsuits.
The wrong hire can cost an organisation loss of money and poor productivity. It can also lead to an unsafe work environment. According to them, the checks can also be used for investigation generally in determining whether an applicant may be unqualified for a position due to a record of misrepresentation of educational qualifications, work history, criminal and medical records.
Executing background checks in the hiring process can protect the company from bad publicity, safeguard the companies’ assets, and make current employees feel safe in their work environment. However, employee background checks come with their own set of challenges.
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An International Security expert, Jackson Ojo, stressed that one major problem facing employment in Nigeria is lack of background checks because in many other parts of the world, before employment, there must be security considerations.”
He said the next important thing to do was what was regarded as “profiling”. Ojo said, it is done in a way that employers want to know that person from his or her immediate family, if possible.
“In Nigeria, meritocracy is not considered, but favoritism has swallowed meritocracy in Nigeria. Does he or she merit it? No, but favor the person. Therefore, it affects all facets. That is why we cannot get it right and will not get it right if we continue like this,” Ojo further said.
In a situation where the guarantor says he or she has known the candidate for a number of years and believes the person won’t be involved in any criminal act and eventually does that, the employer will hold that guarantor responsible.
Employing someone you don’t know requires strong background check and employers do these checks to confirm criminal records, education history, previous employment verification, and reference checks.
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