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Advantages of Employment Screening & Background Checks for SMEs.

Date Published: February 21, 2022 | Last Updated: January 06, 2024 | By Jessica Veal

Are Background Checks Beneficial for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses?

For SMEs, background check solutions are becoming increasingly necessary. Casual self-employment and gig-work skyrocketed during the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, with ad hoc staff being needed more than ever.

Hiring in 2021 has often meant making hiring decisions without physically meeting candidates. With more remote working than ever, many businesses need to do their due diligence to ensure that new hires are the right cultural and professional fit and that they are hiring the best employees for their company.

The Gig Workforce Has More Than Doubled in Size Since 2016. 

Demand-driven contract positions such as Uber drivers or Amazon delivery drivers make up nearly 10% of the UK workforce. These short-term roles often need filling at a moment’s notice, and the contingent workers taking them need background checks to ensure the safety of service users and existing employees alike.

All Shapes and Sizes.

These days, businesses come in all different forms, and there’s no one size fits all when it comes to employment screening. However, one thing is becoming clear – businesses of all sizes need to protect themselves against risks associated with hiring and complete pre-employment checks and employee screening.

In our experience, we’ve seen that some companies may be on the small side, for example – Financial Services firms, but may be required to meet regulatory requirements with their due diligence and have hiring managers perform multiple types of background checks on staff. This includes background checks for those in high-risk roles.

Those in low and medium risk roles, for example, entry-level and legal compliance staff, may also require quick employment background screening services along their professional journey.

Are Background Check Services Beneficial to Small to Medium-Sized Businesses?

If you’re a small business owner, you still need to know that potential hires are who they say they are. It’s best for SME owners to let job applicants and potential employees know that a background check will be part of the hiring process.

Circumstances can vary dramatically, but if your company employs individuals who care for vulnerable people or those who handle sensitive information, or work remotely, background checks can safeguard your business practices in several ways.

As well as needing to trust employees and safeguard customers and staff, screening employees can save your company the cost of a bad hire. By performing background checks on staff, you’ll have peace of mind whilst being able to focus on what matters.

A bad mid-management hire can end up costing your company over £130,000.

The Importance of Background Checks for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses.

Getting a background check on a prospective job candidate is a key component in evaluating them for your job search. Services tailored to small businesses can make it easy to get background checks and screening is a way to determine whether or not the individual has requisite credentials for the job in question.

Keep up with the Legal Compliance.  

As small firms don’t often require hiring practices like big firms do, it might become harder to follow the latest rules regarding background checks. Using a large and professional background check provider, rather than your own methods, can ensure that practices are legal and compliant.

Vero/Go. 

With smaller businesses in mind, we’ve launched Vero/Go, our pay-as-you-go screening solution for SMEs and gig workers. With no contracts, this simplified employment screening service helps you find out the information you need to know, fast.

From general checks to those for high-risk positions, using a Vero/Go screening bundle for SME business background checks can help you reduce your exposure to risk and ensure your candidates’ experience and qualifications are genuine whilst complying with any regulatory requirements.

We have defined the perfect screening bundles based on our experience across multiple business sectors. Background check packages include:

  • Financial Services
  • Legal
  • Professional Services
  • BS7858
  • BPSS

Interested in SME screening solutions that can help your businessClick here to find out more about conducting background checks.