Gig workers - what checks are needed
The gig economy has been growing rapidly over the last few years, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will force many more people into contract work. This continues to contribute to a growing talent pool for cash strapped companies looking for contingent workers to fill skills gaps.
Any non-permanent employees are considered contingent workers, they are the contractors, the freelancers and agency workers. According to numbers supplied by the Office of National Statistics, there are currently nearly 1.5 million temporary workers in the UK alone, and this number is set to rise in a post-Covid world.
The importance of background checks for permanent staff is now fully accepted, with around 90% of companies carrying out comprehensive screening for new hires. However, companies looking to cut corners in temporary staff recruitment, by considering screening an unnecessary strain on resources, are making a dangerous assumption.
Without the security of a long-term contract, temporary workers can pose a significant risk to your company. Many businesses have become victims of fraud or found themselves inadvertently hiring illegal workers due to failing to properly screen temporary workers.
Carrying out the right checks is crucial. Whether or not staff are permanent, workers can usually access company property and data, as well as other staff or customers, putting security and wellbeing at risk. In addition, not carrying out the right checks can invalidate some insurance policies. Reputational damage is another hazard, the true cost of an illegal working investigation or fraud scandal has the scope to bankrupt even the most stable companies.
With the economy in a constant state of flux, it is crucial for HR departments to change with the times and consider ways to reduce their labour costs through using contingent workers. This flexibility will be key in helping business recover from the hardships of recent times, but the recruitment of temporary staff must be managed effectively to ensure that all those working with your company are able to fulfil their duties safely and are legally allowed to do so.
A specialist screening provider will advise you on the right checks for your role, as well as provide a consistent process across temporary and permanent staff. Veremark are an internationally leading screening provider, offering 100% digital checks for staff around the globe.
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FAQs
FAQs
This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.
Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.
Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. Simple identity checks can be carried out in as little as a few hours but a worldwide criminal background check for instance might take several weeks. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Our account managers are specialists and can provide detailed information into which checks you need and how long they will take.
All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. This eliminates the need to collect, store and manage paper documents and information making the process faster, more efficient and ensures complete safety of candidate data and documents.
In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.
Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.
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