Top 5 Background Check Providers

Background checks are an essential part of the hiring process for employers in the UK. They provide a comprehensive view of a candidate’s history, helping employers to make informed decisions about their suitability for a role.

In this article, we will explore the importance of background checks for employers in the UK and the different types of checks available.

Ensuring Right to Work

In the UK, employers are required by law to conduct right to work checks on all potential employees. These checks help to establish whether a candidate is legally entitled to work in the UK, and failing to carry out this check can result in penalties or legal action.

Right to work checks provide employers with a statutory excuse against illegal working, which means that they will not be liable for a civil penalty (up to £20,000) if it later transpires that an employee does not have the right to work in the UK.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups

Employers in the UK are also obligated to perform background checks on employees who will be working with vulnerable groups such as children or adults at risk. These checks, known as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, help to safeguard vulnerable individuals by ensuring that those working with them do not have a history of criminal activity.

Top 5 background check providers

There are a variety of providers in the UK. These companies specialize in collecting and verifying information about individuals, including employment history, criminal records, and identity verification. Below is a brief review of the top 5 background check providers in the UK.

1. Zinc

Zinc is an all-in-one employment background checking software that simplifies the screening process for HR and hiring teams. Zinc offers a range of customizable background and reference checks and seamlessly integrates with existing ATS software. Zinc’s automated and fast screening process saves 90 minutes per employee. Zinc also ensures 100% compliance globally and offers 12 off-the-shelf background checks to suit growing businesses among which right to work, ID criminal, credit & sanction checks.

2. Credas

Credas is an identity verification company that offers market-leading technology to simplify compliance and due diligence for various sectors. Their services include AML self-assessment for estate agents, government-certified right-to-work checks, real-time anti-money laundering checks, identity verification, and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance. Credas is certified by the UK government’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework as an Identity Service Provider and is widely used across 40 different sectors. The company offers various packages, including gateway, entry, pro, and enterprise, with different features and pricing suitable for various business needs.

3. TrustID

TrustID is a digital identity service provider (IDSP) that offers identity verification services for Right to Work, Right to Rent, and DBS Digital checks. The company provides identity document validation technology (IDVT) for organizations of any size with clear results. TrustID offers easy-to-use technology for identity validation based on a simple document capture process, with no training required. The company provides flexible services for both in-person and digital online identity verification, which can be scaled to fit the risk, process, and budget of the client.

4. Xydus

Xydus is a platform that offers seamless identity management solutions for enterprises. It allows businesses to enroll and reuse individual identities across the enterprise, ensuring a frictionless onboarding experience for individuals, accounts, partners, and employees. Xydus provides flexible and configurable technology that can fit any process for enterprise-wide verification and authentication.

The platform is built to integrate into any existing process or system, making it a suitable solution for businesses looking to transform fractured verification processes and create identity management continuity that evolves with their needs. Xydus also helps businesses ensure compliance with systems audits and regulatory requirements, such as Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and right to work checks. Overall, Xydus provides a scalable, consistent, and transparent solution for identity management in the digital world.

5. Sterling Talent Solutions

Sterling Talent Solutions is a background check data provider that offers a variety of services, including identity verification, criminal record checks, and employment screening.

Sterling Talent Solutions’ platform is user-friendly and provides quick turnaround times on results. Their pricing is on the higher end of the spectrum, but their reputation for accuracy and reliability makes them a great choice for businesses that require a high level of precision in their background checks.

6. Veremark

Veremark is a leading provider of background screening services that offers a fast, easy, and secure way to screen existing or prospective employees. With its comprehensive selection of online background checks for employment, Veremark has established itself as a top background checker that can be used by all industries and sectors. Its platform is fully customizable and reliable, and can be tailored to any industry or role, making it an ideal solution for high growth businesses.

Moreover, Veremark’s open API connects seamlessly with an organization’s ATS or CRM, allowing for smooth communication between platforms. With its insightful reports, real-time updates, and dedicated customer support, Veremark provides a clean and simple digital experience that helps employers define, understand and manage hiring risks. Overall, Veremark’s fast turnaround times, no long-term contracts, and wide variety of checks make it a top choice for organizations looking to improve their hiring outcomes and candidate experience

Embed background checks into employee onboarding

Picking a provider is the easy part, now you need to consider embedding employee background checks directly into employee onboarding.

This is a critical step every organization should consider as it ensures that the potential hires meet the organization’s hiring criteria and that they are fit for the job. With background checks, organizations can mitigate risks that come with hiring employees with questionable backgrounds or those with records of criminal activities that could harm the business, other employees, or clients.

Apart from ensuring a safe working environment, conducting background checks also helps in maintaining an organization’s reputation. In today’s age of social media and 24-hour news coverage, any negative press regarding a company’s employees can quickly spread, causing significant reputational damage. Background checks during the onboarding process are an effective way to avoid this by identifying individuals with questionable records.

Embed and automate background checks in employee onboarding with Zelt

Furthermore, embedding employee background checks in onboarding provides an opportunity for organizations to ensure that their potential employees possess the required qualifications and experience necessary for the job. Verifying educational degrees, past employment history, and relevant certifications helps ensure that employees have the necessary credentials to perform the job’s functions.

In conclusion, embedding employee background checks in onboarding provides a crucial first line of defense for organizations against potential harm caused by new employees. Beyond mitigating risks, it helps maintain a company’s reputation and ensures that employees are qualified for their roles. Therefore, organizations should make it a priority to include background checks as part of their onboarding process to reap these benefits.