The Hindu Business Line : More a formality than serious screening

Bangalore, July 29 With most Indian organisations treating background screening requirement as just a tick in the box or as an ‘extra cost,’ the process has become more a formality than a necessity. In fact, a low percentage (less than 10 per cent) of organisations opt for employee verification, says Mr Ashish Dehade, Managing Director, First Advantage Pvt Ltd, a background and risk mitigation services provider.

In most organisations, a conventional ‘reference check’ is considered good enough where backgrounds of employees are ‘checked’ as a formality.

Other related checks such as criminal or court records or database record checks, adequate checks on education and employment are still not conducted , he says.

“In recent times, we have heard of many individuals in high profile organisations or with a fairly sophisticated background having links of some kind with terrorist activities,” he says.

Any organisation which has employees working on databases with sensitive customer information or on patents or support clients in the financial services area is vulnerable.

“Small companies that do not have proper systems and processes are particularly vulnerable,” says Dr Pallab Bandyopadhyay, Chief People Officer, Cambridge Solutions Ltd.

“That’s because talent is at a premium and smaller companies tend to overlook the background check bit to fulfil their immediate requirements.”

In fact, he recommends integrity checks not just on junior or entry level employees, but also senior level employees.

Mr Kris Lakshmikanth, Managing Director, Headhunters India, says IT companies should have more stringent checks as terrorist–linked groups take advantage of global travel and tech knowledge that the jobs offer.

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