What is the first thing that comes to your mind when hiring security staff for your company? Most business leaders consider skills and qualifications as the primary requisites to recruit the most talented security officers meeting their criteria. However, the importance of background checks cannot be undermined irrespective of your business size or sector.

Hence, the UK government introduced the BS7858 standard to screen security personnel and perform comprehensive background checks before their deployment. The standard helps companies make sure they have hired the most credible security staff having their desired skills and expertise. Nevertheless, the manual screening process is time-consuming and less reliable. Companies need sufficient resources and time to complete the BS7858 staff vetting process manually and manage the paperwork.

To address these challenges, automated BS7858 staff screening solutions were introduced that deliver instant results with accuracy. Read below the unique benefits offered by these cloud-based solutions to businesses across the UK.

What is BS7858?

The BS7858 is a British standard for the security screening of individuals employed in a security environment. The purpose of BS7858 is to guide the security screening of individuals employed in a security environment. The scope of this standard covers those individuals who are employed by the company and may have access to high-risk areas within your business premises. This includes employees, contractors, temporary workers, and agency workers.

The BS7858 staff vetting is a very strict process that includes:

• Criminal record search
• Pre-employment references from previous employers
• Professional qualifications check
• Identity check
• Right to work check

Benefits of BS7858 Staff Vetting Solutions

Here’s how automated BS7858 staff vetting solutions streamline the screening process:

1. Protection for Business

The first reason to use automated BS7858 staff vetting solutions is that they help businesses hire qualified security personnel that offer enhanced protection. Employees screened as per this standard are loyal and trustworthy and have no criminal record.

It is estimated that around 5-10% of job applicants give false information on their CVs and job application forms. Many companies have been caught out by this problem and have suffered the consequences, including negative PR, high staff turnover, and even financial penalties. The BS7858 staff screening solutions can solve all these problems and offer maximum protection.

2. Legality

Screening security personnel with BS7858 staff vetting solutions allows businesses to meet the legal requirements set by the SIA. Especially, if you are the owner of a security company operating in the UK, you must use these cloud-based screening tools to manage your employees’ records and increase your chances of becoming an SIA-approved contractor.

Similarly, hiring BS7858 vetted employees helps protects organizations from legal liability. In the event of an incident at work involving a staff member, you may be held liable for their actions. In case your employees are found to be non-vetted, your company will have to suffer irreparable consequences. The best way to avoid all such issues is by ensuring that you hire staff that has been vetted following BS7858 standards by using automated solutions.

3. Avoid Financial Loss

The manual screening process is not only time-consuming, but it is also vulnerable to human errors. Even a minor mistake can cost you financial and reputational losses. The collection and verification of candidates’ documents is a hectic process and there are higher chances of fraud and deception.

On the other hand, BS7858 staff vetting solutions are fully automated and complete the screening process online. They not only save you time but also help you avoid potential financial losses. For instance, if you are running a company whose clients have valuables or other items of value on the premises, then you need your staff to be honest and trustworthy. If any of them are dishonest, they may steal from your customers or even sabotage your business operations by stealing items of value or even selling confidential information to your competitors.

4. Sensitive Data

If you run a business that deals with sensitive data such as financial information for your customers or clients, then you need to hire employees who have high integrity and morality. This will help protect the sensitive information from being leaked and can help prevent the crime of insider attack. In many industries, the loss of private customer data can mean serious legal repercussions. Companies around the world are required to comply with certain rules and regulations when they handle sensitive customer data.

In the modern digital era, it seems like every industry collects some kind of sensitive customer data, whether it’s financial information, health records, or other important information. If your business falls into one of these categories and stores customer data, you need to make sure that you have staff members who’ve been vetted by an organization that follows BS7858 screening standards. And this is only possible when you screen your security personnel with BS7858 staff vetting solutions.

5. Corporate Growth

It is mandatory for security companies operating in the UK to hire security personnel as per the BS7858 standard. Without completing the staff screening, they cannot meet the legal requirements set by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and relevant government bodies.

The use of automated BS7858 staff vetting solutions enables companies to regulate their business operations and stand out as reliable security partners. You can convince your target customers that your security officers have no criminal background and have been vetted against the BS7858 standard. This gives a positive impression about your organization and contributes to your corporate growth and development in the long run.

Conclusion

While hiring an employee, companies must ensure they have a proper background check done. It has become a necessity for employers to meet BS7858 vetting standards and guidelines that ensure that a satisfactory vetted candidate is given a hire over another one with less satisfactory vetting.

The BS7858 staff vetting solutions help UK businesses meet the BS7858 staff screening requirements when hiring security staff. Automated workforce management software UK provides accurate and fast results and allows the users to download the final reports in their desired format.