Business organisations need to be increasingly organised to protect themselves and their consumers from external risks, with safety and security as an ongoing concern. Employee pre-screening is a crucial first move that many skips.
A crime committed by workers is an unfortunate and expensive fact for many Australian businesses. Approximately 80% of workplace crime is estimated to be carried out by workers, with crimes ranging from fraud and robbery to assault and bribery. Fraud losses from workers and former employees alone amount to at least $1.5 billion annually, according to the Australian Federal Police.
One survey shows that the specific affected area of business is the Retail sector because of workplace frauds and thefts. And, it’s just not about going home with a pen from the showcase, the amount of forgery reported is close to $400.
The problem is real, and taking the safeguard measurement is necessary. To reduce the risk, one of the useful measurement can be taken implementing a proper background screening policy.
Helps to make an informed decision
A Background Check is an integral part of the HR process that allows the employers to make a collective decision whether the person possesses any inherent risk to that particular job role.
This can be determined easily by obtaining a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) through an ACIC accredited Police Checking service provider like KONCHECK. The Police Check certificate will show any criminal records, pending court proceedings that the applicant has against his/her name.
Once, the applicant obtains a Police Check; the organisation can easily make a call. It depends on the organisation policy whether the applicant gets the job despite having a criminal conviction in the past or not.
Some jobs in Australia, mostly working in Aged Care, may require a mandatory Police Check to preclude the applicants who are convicted, sentenced or imprisoned for any form of severe charges like assault.
While certain offences do not affect the suitability of an individual for a desk job, such as drink driving, driving without registration or driving without insurance, it may render them an unacceptable recruit for a logistics position. Similarly, a drug offence does not prohibit a person from working in retail, but this may be a high-risk obligation in sectors where machinery is worked.
At the start, the process was manual and used to take a lot of times. However, with the help of ACIC accredited providers, now the process is entirely online, and most results are delivered within 1-2 business days.
Risks involved in Social Media
Many employers depend on the Social Media platform when it comes to background screening. There is no doubt that social media indicates a lot about a person’s personal life. However, when it comes to protecting the business, there’s a lot of things involved which is beyond the capacity of social media.
So in your investigation, what do you look for? What is reliving is that its fair game to consider as the domain is public to acquire information. However, the fact is that your decision to recruit must not be compromised in any way, with acts that are biased in nature (either directly or indirectly).
On which purposes a check is required?
A National Police Check mainly required for standard employment, volunteer and occupation-related licencing or registration purpose. For example, to work with the vulnerable groups of the society, you may need a check according to the government guidelines.
On the other hand, many employers are now adapting to perform a Criminal History Check on current and prospective employees. For example, businesses with a high turnover of workers, such as cleaning, healthcare workers, food franchises fast-service, and seasonal retailers; organisations that have heavy pieces of machinery or costly equipment; positions that involve high levels of public interaction; and roles where employees have access to the finances or accounts of the company.
On the other hand, some occupations also require to have a Police Check certificate at the time of registering with the governing body. For example, nurse and midwives, medical practitioners, police and security staffs, workers in the hospitality industry, real estate agents, drivers etc.
How to obtain the Police Check?
The introduction of accredited providers makes it easy for organisations to apply for Police Check. For examples, applying through KONCHECK is fast and straightforward than going to any police stations. It is particularly beneficial for the businesses who want checks in bulk or a regular basis on their employees.
The revolutionary online portal of KONCHECK offers a short, easy online application process, allowing companies to lodge and track the progress of Police Checks themselves.
Once companies have registered, they simply need to send email invitations to a candidate for carrying out the checks. Once the procedure is complete, companies are notified, and the police authentication certificate is shared with the candidates. Most results are delivered within 1-2 business days from KONCHECK.
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