In What Ways Background Checks Can Influence the Workplace Culture

Approximately one third of present-day employers prefer to perform pre-employment verification on job applicants. While most people assume that employers generally look for criminal records and identity check, the real picture behind background checks is that they can uncover valuable and associated information that can determine if a prospective candidate is a good fit or not. Because the candidates who fit well, make better performances and stick around quite longer, reducing the employee turnover cost and the risk of low confidence in recruiters. Hence, these days Employers are looking over background check information which ultimately helps them to improve or maintain positive workplace culture.

So following are the ways in which background checks can influence the workplace culture

Qualified Candidates

A proper background verification process can be out the best fit candidate from the talent pool. This creates a refined workforce in the office ensuring a better work environment. With a qualified candidate in the workforce the organization receives the following advantages:

• The candidates who pass through a successful background verification process tend to be "collaborative", "self-aware", "accountable" and "respectful".

• Such candidates help in defining a positive company value and make the work environment much progressive for current and prospective employees.

• Emphasize on being transparent and inclusive promoting teamwork in corporate vision.

Create an environment of Honesty & Integrity

Another important factor of Employment Pre-screening that influences a workplace culture is the honesty and integrity of the verified candidate. The very first impression about a candidate is the resume. However, studies say that many candidates lie on their resume and but the level of these denigrations determine the type of person the company is hiring. For example, if the resume fabrications are memory failures – like wrong dates of employment or focusing on a skill set the candidate does not even know might be easier to overlook. However there are some are extreme lies, and which can be glaring red flags for the person’s candidature which include lying about their identity, education or criminal history. A basic background check further serves as a tool of truth for those candidates who refrain from being honest while applying for an opening in your organization.

A workforce with Verified Employment History / Reference Checks

While conducting verification of previous employment, there are some restrictions on the type of information that you might receive. For example, previous employers cannot give details on a candidate’s job performance as they ate not legally allowed to do so. They can, however, ask if the candidate got a promotion or if they are still eligible for rehire. Moreover, recruiters can assess the culture of the candidate’s previous employer and determine if the candidate left the job due to any difference of values.

Background Check companies can gather the required information from relevant database sources but they can also put feet on the ground and verify all the received information about an applicant. Employers also have a legal obligation to keep their staff as well as their customer safe so they always rely on accurate data delivered by a well-organized background verification process.

Summary - The ideal job candidate will not only be a good employee but also fit well within the organization. Workplace culture can be affected by new hires and background checks can help create a positive outcome. This blog explains it in a better way.

Lourdes Fernandes is the Business Head of cFIRST Background Checks, one of the leading employee background verification companies in India. Lourdes is an industry veteran and often writes about the articles.