Background verification after joining has 3 fold disadvantages. Let’s look at what they are and what you can do to overcome them.
Disadvantages of background verification after joining
-
It starts from document submission after joining
New hires are enthusiastic about their new jobs. We have all been there. We’ve all been eager to know a new organisation, its team, the job role, etc.
But, isn’t it a bummer that the first thing you get to do after joining is BGV document submission? (Which is often daunting.)
Further in this blog, we’ll see how we can manage document submission in a better way.
-
The wrong hire gets to enter the system
This is how companies do background checks: They let the new hire join the company, ask them to submit details & documents, and then initiate the BGV process. That is, an employer never knows if their new hire is truly safe at the time of joining. For all you know, your new hire might be dishonest or have adverse motives for the organization.
They may leak the organization’s unique processes, sensitive data, or internal communications. Or they may cause internal chaos or influence your other employees in a wrong way. Plus, cases of employees absconding with company assets (like laptops, digital devices, etc.) and pulling off dual employment are increasing drastically.
As a safety measure, many companies wait to give employees important accesses till their BGV results return as green. But, this delays the work that the employee is hired for. And might not even be enough to safeguard the company.
-
There’s a lot of chaos that follows the removal of a wrong hire
Some new hires serve a notice period of 1-3 months at their previous company before joining a new one. During this time, the new employer waits patiently. But, if the new hire’s BGV results return as adverse after joining, the employer has to have discussions on whether or not the employee should stay.
Further, putting the new hire’s salary on hold, terminating their employment, looking for any risks in their time spent at work, etc. creates chaos.
Background verification after joining needs to change as BGV transforms as per the new age.
A new approach to background verification
The solution to all the above challenges is rooted in changing the way we approach employee verification. Leveraging technology to make changes in the current BGV system can help us get there easily. Let’s see how some progressive companies and MNCs are practising background verification.
Pre onboarding employee verification using digital verification
As the name suggests, pre-onboarding checks are conducted before the new hire joins the organization. The HR initiates document submission and pre-onboarding checks, respectively, after a candidate has accepted the offer letter or one month before they join.
Pre-onboarding checks are preliminary digital checks that verify basic information about the candidates like their identity, address, employment history, any court/criminal records against them, their credit score, and bank account. IDfy also checks an internal fraud database to analyze if the new hires have been involved in any fraudulent activity in the past. The best part is that all these checks have are digital and have a 10X faster TAT.
This way, the new hires can complete the BGV form fill and document submission before they join, enabling them to focus more on their job afterwards. Furthermore, employers can filter out most of the dishonest new hires even before they join, preventing potential risks and chaos.
Following these, companies conduct post onboarding checks (like reference and education checks) to ensure that the new hires are relevant for the job.
Bonus: Post-hire background check policy
The traditional BGV process cannot detect if an on-roll employee has turned into a potential risk for the organization.
Yes, even your on-roll employees may turn into a red BGV case after 6 months, 1 year, or more of joining. They may indulge in dual employment, financial fraud, getting a criminal record against themselves, etc. Yet, there’s no appropriate system to keep a regular check on them.
Instant digital checks like EPFO (for employment), penny drop (for bank account verification), and digital court record verification conducted in regular intervals can help organizations keep an eye on what their employees are up to. A drug test is another check that many workplaces prefer to practice as and when needed or on a scheduled basis.
To understand more about what post-hire BGV, click here.