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Employee vetting: Do you know who you’ve hired
Chipo Rusere, XDS Zimbabwe
October 30, 2013

Zimbabwean companies are operating in a growing globalised environment where there is pressure to meet international standards of recruitment. It is important for businesses of all sizes to conduct the necessary background checks on their employees. Recruitment of the right person, based on accurate and comprehensive background information, is vital to save your business time, money and also protect your company from fraud and other problems associated with hiring workers with financial difficulties, some of which include lower job productivity, absenteeism and tardiness, theft by employees and involvement in corrupt activities and the legal repercussions.

In as much as it is important for all employers to understand why employees commit fraudulent activities; it is of more importance for employers in all sectors to prevent fraudulent activities by hiring well-balanced employees. Relying on information from the candidates’ CVs alone is not advisable as statistics show that 53% of all job applications contain falsified information; 1 in every 10 job applicants wrongly claims they had a university degree, listed false employers or actually identified jobs that did not exist. Forward-thinking employers will realise that simply having a background check policy in place encourages applicants to be more forthcoming in their CVs and interviews and deters dodgy applicants.

Employee vetting will catch out candidates who fabricate their reasons for leaving a job; their qualifications, among other things. If you think that just because your organisation is not in the financial sector then you are immune to screening your employees then you are wrong. Employee vetting goes across all sectors; in practical jobs it is even more recommended. Employees who will be handling machinery or equipment of any sort, if not adequately trained can cost your company a lot of money. Conducting adequate background checks on such employees will mitigate a lot of the risk associated with hiring individuals who are not adequately trained. In the transport sector for example, a driver who deserted his last job is most likely to do the same for to your organisation but if he/she has lied about the reasons of leaving their previous job, you may not find this out. A background check will bring such issues to light.

Not only does E-Check conduct background checking and confirm qualifications; it also supplies the employer with a credit check on the potential employee. More and more credit providers are asking for direct deductions from employees’ salaries. The credit provider only assesses the pay slips and assumes that the employee will be responsible not to over borrow. In this regard, employers can use E-Check not only for employees entering their organisations, but also for those already employed with them. In this regard, E-Check becomes a tool for effective credit risk management in your organisation.

Your next question might be that you are a small business and will only start doing background screening when your business has grown. Statistics show that 30% of small business’ failure is caused by employee theft. Internal employee related thefts occur 15 times more than external theft. So if you are thinking that your enemy is the competition and other external factors, you are misled. The reason for your company’s failure might be an individual currently on your payroll as you read this.

There is a clear market need for a background checking service in Zimbabwe; this is a need from recruiting agencies and corporates in all sectors. In response to that market need, Expert Decision Systems (XDS) has established a credit reference bureau in Zimbabwe that enables employers and recruiting agencies alike to vet all potential employees using an easy and reliable method. With XDS’ E-Check, employers can verify their potential employees’ previous employment history, qualifications, credit exposure in the market, character checks as well as criminal records.

For the past three years, XDS has been providing risk management solutions that meet the calls for an external screening process in Zimbabwe. Risk in the recruitment process in Zimbabwe is fast becoming more complex to manage effectively. Episodes of fraudulent qualifications are on the rise as there is a scramble to get the few jobs which are available in the market.

XDS Zimbabwe is therefore providing this recruitment solution and it would be of great benefit for all employers and recruiting agencies to access this service. E Check provides accurate and timely information which will better assist you to mitigate the risk associated with hiring in a growing developing country such as Zimbabwe.

To date XDS has established a functioning bureau servicing recruiting agencies and companies in Zimbabwe as well as the top background checking companies in South Africa. Some of our clients include The Valcol Group, CV People Africa, MIE, EMPS and RefCheck in South Africa. Within Zimbabwe, the sectors XDS is servicing include the security industry, transport industry among other others. If you are not vetting your employees with XDS then now is the time to start.

Visit the XDS Zimbabwe website

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