How to protect your organisation against applicant fraud and minimise the risks associated with recruitment decisions

by | Aug 10, 2023 | HR Blog

At McKinney HR, we understand that building a strong and reliable workforce is of utmost importance to our clients. We are all aware of the challenges associated with finding the right talent, but how can you minimise risks during the recruitment process and how aware are you of the challenge of applicant fraud? There are the usual right to work, ID, reference checks and thorough skills assessments but there are some additional steps you can take:

1. Degree Verification: Verify the authenticity of academic degrees and certifications claimed by candidates. This can be done through a verification portal e.g. Higher Education Degree Datacheck.

2. Additional Background Checks: Such as financial credit & fraud checks or criminal record checks to uncover any discrepancies or fraudulent activities in the candidate’s employment history. There are numerous applicant screening service providers who can support with administering additional background checks.

3. Medical Screening through Occupational Health: undertaking these checks as part of an offer of employment can provide insights into a candidate’s physical and mental health, ensuring they are fit to perform specific job duties or identifying any health conditions that will require reasonable adjustments to be put in place. However, note that under the Equality Act 2010 organisations cannot ask candidates health questions before they are offered employment. Checks should be consistently applied to all new recruits to avoid claims of less favourable treatment or discrimination.
There are some points to consider before implementing additional checks into your recruitment process:

Balancing Privacy and Necessity: While pre-employment checks offer valuable insights, you should aim to strike a balance between gathering the information you need and respecting candidates’ privacy.

Consistency and Fairness: Standardising the basic pre-employment check process across roles and applicants ensures fairness and prevents potential discrimination claims, additional checks should be proportionate and appropriate to the role being undertaken.

Review of Existing Policies and Data Security: Ensure that any additional checks align with existing company policies and legal frameworks. For example, you should detail what checks are required and the reasons for them in a recruitment policy, Data Protection Policy and in the application process to let candidates know of any checks in advance.

Educate Hiring Managers: Provide training to your hiring managers on recognising potential red flags and conducting effective candidate verifications.

At McKinney HR, we are committed to supporting you to build a workforce of talented and trustworthy individuals. Contact us at support@mckinneyhr.co.uk if you would like to discuss which additional pre-employment screening checks may be beneficial to your organisation and how to implement them effectively.