A thorough background check of potential and existing employees is practically ‘non-existent’ in the Asia-Pacific region, Camilla De Villiers, managing director of HireRight Asia Pacific, once told
HRD.
And overlooking this important step in recruitment and promotions can have very negative repercussions on an organisation, she added.
Looking ahead, De Villiers said there are three important trends in background screening coming into the new year that many employers should be mindful of:
Going beyond the border: The need for more comprehensive international screening
With the world becoming increasingly connected and air travel made more affordable, more candidates have the opportunity for overseas education and work placements. It is now common to have candidates with education and work experiences in more than one country.
However, the alarming fact is that many companies are still only performing local background checks on their candidates, missing a crucial component on screening candidates’ international backgrounds.
According to our 2016 HireRight APAC Employment Screening Benchmark Report, only 42% of the surveyed companies screen international candidates’ international backgrounds. This can pose a gap in an employer’s screening programme as international moves can be a means by which candidates may try to escape negative records.
For employers who do not have the capacity and network to perform international background checks on candidates, consider a background screening vendor with an international network and footprint.
The rise of the contingent workforce and how to be ready for it
We expect to see a rise in the contingent workforce due to technology-driven employment for on-demand services as well as uncertain economic conditions in 2017.
Locally, term contract employment made up a hefty 11.3 per cent of the resident workforce in Singapore last year. As the workforce in APAC evolves to include more contract employees, it is key that HR departments re-evaluate existing screening policies to ensure temporary workers are adequately screened. Temporary and contract workers have the same access to office premises and, potentially, confidential information, as permanent employees do.
The road to innovation: Optimising the mobile experience in background screening
With APAC smartphone penetration expected to hit 51.5% by 2019, companies can no longer afford not to prioritise mobile strategies in recruitment and background screening processes. Optimising for mobile is a strategic direction for companies that wish to effectively capture the attention of potential hires who are constantly on-the-move. As such, it is essential that background screening processes are fluid and seamless on mobile devices.
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