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Compliance is an integral part of the modern recruiting process, and with good reason. Like it or loathe it, compliance adds structure to your recruitment methods – ensuring you comply with both external legislation and your internal policies. It can improve standards and add a vital layer of protection for both the hirer and the candidate.
However, it seems that many employers do not have a robust compliance process. A recent study by Giant Group has revealed that in 2014, almost two thousand Notifications of Liability (NOL) notices for civil penalty were issued to employers in the UK. Many NOLs were issued to employers for failing to perform even the most basic compliance checks on new hires. The total cost of these penalties reached a staggering £30m last year, despite the government doubling the maximum penalty from £10,000 to £20,000.
So, what can employers and recruiters do to ensure their compliance processes are up to scratch, and can technology help you stay on the right side of employment law?
A Robust Compliance Process is Key
Compliance in its most basic form is checking the right to work of a new hire. But many companies go above and beyond this by checking competencies such as work history and professional references. Even more thorough examples include DBS checks, chest X-Rays and blood tests. Typically a company’s checks and balances will be reviewed by more than one member of staff, internally audited on a regular basis, and undergo an external audit annually.
Is Software the Solution?
But managing a modern compliance process can be challenging, especially if there isn’t suitable software in place to streamline the process. Spreadsheets are as fallible as pen and paper. They can easily be overwritten or misplaced. Couple this with the requirement to store documents such as Passport scans in a secure and auditable manner – the problem can quickly escalate. Modern recruitment software can help in three key ways:
1. Security- A modern recruitment system will ensure that compliance data and documents are stored in a secure, central location. This is vital to ensure that any sensitive candidate information is fully protected.
2. Compliance prompts- These can alert you to important upcoming events (like visa expiries) months in advance.
3. Auditing- It is far easier to audit compliance information when it is in one central location. You can quickly see compliance data and documents at a glance, or drill down further into specific examples.
Ultimately, a system is only ever as good as the data in it. Employers should have rigorous internal policies and audits in place first and foremost. Yet when combined with modern recruitment software, it can offer employers a methodology that will provide both the security and required to meet your internal and external compliance objectives.
Learn More About Using Software To Bolster Your Compliance
Download our free brochure. Go to www.eploy.co.uk/ihg
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