While sorting through resumes and doing an interview, there are increased risks around workplace safety, data breaches, fraud, and reputational damage today. So, the practice of full background checks has become more important than ever. Corporations of any size, from newly formed start-ups to well-established companies, are not exempt from the additional use of background screening in their hiring process to protect their people, assets, and future. 

This is an article about why background checks have never been more valuable, the risk that comes with not using background checks, and how employers can take advantage of smarter solutions that incorporate BS7858-compliant background work.

Background Checks and the Current Workforce

The one-off reference check is a past method of screening. With gig work increasingly popular and remote work often becoming mainstream, businesses are now dealing with a myriad of employees and contractors.  

Each employee, contractor, or worker brings with them some level of access to sensitive company information, company systems, and sometimes at-risk clients. 

Advanced background checks go beyond simple identity verification. They include: 

• Criminal history searches 
• Employment and education verification 
• Financial background assessments 
• Social media scans 
• Regulatory compliance screening (e.g., BS7858 checks)

These multi-layered checks help uncover red flags that might be missed in traditional processes.

Risk Mitigation and Safety Assurance

Advanced vetting has the primary benefit of reducing risk. In cases where you are hiring for a security-sensitive role, dealing with personal data, or working with children or vulnerable adults, having the right person in the role is paramount. 

Let’s say you are a school and are hiring a new IT technician. Without an advanced check, you may never uncover that the person you are hiring has previous convictions for cybercrime. These checks will allow for the risk to be flagged early, preventing future risks of cybercrime for the school, teachers, and students. 

Advanced screening ensures:

• Protection from insider threats 
• Reduced legal liability 
• Improved workplace safety 
• Protection of brand reputation 

Compliance with Legal and Industry Standards

In regulated industries such as banking, healthcare, and the security sector, there are regulations, often in the form of laws, that must be complied with. In the UK, standards such as the BS7858 govern pre-employment screening. 

For example, it has not only high due diligence but also high due diligence standards when recruiting employees for an advanced-security role. Employers that do not vet employees in accordance with BS7858 staff vetting (or similar laws) can find themselves subject to regulatory action taken against them, litigation, and, in the worst of cases, forced to cease operations.  

It is vital that compliance is not merely viewed as a box-ticking exercise, but rather as an opportunity to build trust into the DNA of the company.

Key compliance benefits of advanced checks:

• Peace of mind during audits
• Fulfillment of contractual requirements
• Reduced exposure to litigation

Protecting Company Culture and Performance

When businesses hire trustworthy, vetted employees, they demonstrate a commitment to professionalism and security. Clients and partners are more likely to work with organizations that take personnel risk seriously. 

In sectors like security services, IT, logistics, and healthcare, where trust is a cornerstone, providing proof of advanced screening becomes a competitive edge. 

Hiring an unsuitable individual doesn’t just cost money. Rather, it can create disruption in the team culture of the organization, lower morale, and create high turnover. An employee who is dishonest or dishonourably hired can create problems for interpersonal compatibility, diminish trust, and possibly hinder team productivity. 

Through a deeper vetting process, organizations can not only make sure candidates have a clean record from an employment standpoint but also that they are a moral fit with the organization’s values, ethical behaviour and working future viability. 

For instance, a technology company hires a new developer because of his excellent coding skills. A soft background check for developers reveals a history of taking intellectual property from his previous employer. By pointing out this issue, it gives the company time to protect themselves from a potential data breach. 

Enhancing Client and Partner Trust

When organizations hire trustworthy, vetted personnel, they display to partners and clients a potential confidence in professional capability and security. Partners and clients will prefer working with organizations that are taking personnel risk seriously. 

In various sectors, like security services, IT, logistics, and healthcare, it can be believed that the trust component is relied upon. Thus, providing evidence of the advanced screening can be an advantage depending on the competition. 

Benefits include: 

• Increased client retention 
• Higher likelihood of winning contracts 
• Improved brand reputation 

Accelerating and Improving the Hiring Process

In addition to improving accuracy, advanced background check solutions (like Smart Workforce BS7858 staff vetting feature) will reduce hiring processing time. Traditional vetting is slow and error-prone, resulting in delays and negative experiences for candidates. 

Automated systems enable HR teams to:

• Track applicant progress in real-time
• Access pre-built compliance templates
• Receive alerts on anomalies
• Make faster, evidence-based decisions

This streamlining ensures top candidates aren’t lost to competitors due to lagging processes.

Building a Culture of Accountability

What does it say about a workplace when every new employee is thoroughly surveyed? It sends a clear message: integrity is important.

When integrity is valued, people are more likely to behave in an accountable, responsible, and professional manner. Employees also feel safer because all their coworkers have gone through a similar process. Expectations regarding behaviour and professional conduct become clearer.

Over time, this leads to:

• Lower absenteeism
• Higher productivity
• Stronger internal trust and collaboration

The Financial Cost of Neglecting Background Checks

Some organizations are hesitant to invest in advanced vetting; however, the financial ramifications of not vetting are usually much higher. Making the wrong hire has the potential to lead to fraud, lawsuits, regulatory fines, and internal unrest.

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) estimates that organizations lose a staggering 5% of their annual revenue because of occupational fraud. Had they properly vetted, many of the cases cited by the ACFE could have been avoided.

The true cost of negligence includes:

• Rehiring expenses
• Legal fees
• Damaged stakeholder relationships

Final Thoughts

In an age when reputation, security, and compliance are high on the agenda, advanced background checks have progressed beyond best practice and into the realm of strategic necessity.

All new employees represent your business, so ensure that through comprehensive vetting, each new hire is a strength to your business and not a potential liability on any level!

Smart Workforce offers user-friendly and fully compliant BS7858 vetting, considerably reducing risk to your hiring process. Whether you’re setting out on a journey from small business to growing business or you’re part of an enterprise organisation with a more involved vetting process, our reliable solution provides you with speed, reliability, and peace of mind.

Ready to do better in the recruitment process? Check out our vetting and background checking features today for a safer and stronger future!