Businesses in the logistics sector face many pressures that require them to work at a fast pace to keep up with demand. They also make up a significant amount of the nation’s workforce – about 8%.
With that said, staff turnover presents a huge issue for businesses in this sector. On the one hand, they’ve got to ensure their operations aren’t slowed down due to unfilled vacancies. But on the other hand, recruiting top talent quickly is made difficult by competition from other businesses within the sector.
You can’t cut corners when it comes to recruitment, because you face the consequences of dealing with the costs of a bad hire. So, what can you do?
Fortunately, logistics businesses like yours can take advantage of speedy background checks to ensure you’re making good recruitment decisions at lightning-fast speed…
Why are background checks important in the logistics sector?
Background checks provide you with verified information of a candidate, and they play a crucial role in ensuring you’ve fulfilled your legal obligations as an employer.
There are a range of different background checks that can be conducted by logistics businesses, each revealing different pieces of information that may play a part in your decision to hire a candidate.
DBS Checks
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) provides DBS Checks to enable you to check prospective employees’ criminal history.
There are three levels of check: Basic, Standard and Enhanced. The three levels have different eligibility requirements and reveal different information about the applicant.
In the logistics sector, it’s unlikely that you are required to work in the presence of children or vulnerable adults, so DBS Checks might not seem relevant at first glance. However, even having access to sensitive information of vulnerable groups can be grounds for conducting a DBS Check.
Having the results from a DBS Check before you offer a candidate a job at your business can help you to ensure they’re fit to work in the role you want to offer them.
Right to Work Checks
You should never make assumptions about a person’s eligibility to work in the UK or their immigration status. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to carry out checks on all prospective employees.
Right to Work Checks play a crucial part of the recruitment process, enabling your logistics business to verify that candidates are eligible to work in the UK.
You must check the applicable documents – for example, a passport or visa – to establish whether a prospective employee has a time-limited or permanent right to work.
You’re required to do this before employing any person to make sure they are legally allowed to do the work in question.
Failing to conduct a Right to Work Check puts you at risk of being fined by the Home Office. If this happens, you’ll get a ‘referral notice’ to let you know your case is being considered and that you might have to pay a civil penalty (fine) of up to £45,000 for each illegal worker.
Identity Checks
In an ideal world, candidates would always be truthful in their interviews. However, this isn’t always the case, and, in some cases, they might even lie about who they are.
This is where Identity Checks play an important role in recruitment. They are a type of electronic identification check designed to verify a candidate’s identity.
Conducting Identity Checks for your logistics business helps to protect your logistics business from fraud and gives you an extra level of confidence in those that are working for you.
Adverse Credit Checks
‘Adverse credit’ refers to any late or non-payment on a person’s credit history. An Adverse Credit Check will reveal any serious adverse credit history the applicant has.
The following types of adverse credit will show up on a financial probity check:
- Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs)
- County Court Judgements (CCJs)
- Bankruptcy
These checks are a fantastic way to ease any potential worries over fraud and dishonesty. They show whether a candidate is economically vulnerable, which tells you that they could be more open to accepting bribes, stealing, or putting your logistics business in financial risk.
You’re better off with uCheck
Here at uCheck, we’ve made background checks simple for over 30,000 organisations just like yours. From our range of DBS and Right to Work Checks to Adverse Credit and Identity Checks, we can help you confidently recruit the best talent at lightning-fast speed!
By working with us to help manage your background check needs, your logistics business could benefit from:
- Extra time on the clock with the speediest pre-employment checks
- More bang for your buck by only paying for the checks you need
- A support team that’s by your side and ready for anything
Ready to get started? We’re ready when you are. Sign up today!
