In this digital age, business operations and HR processes have changed. Remote interviews are here to stay as they’re perceived as more convenient and easier to schedule. The prevalence of remote work has also not diminished despite the declared end of the pandemic, and many companies have seen the benefits of maintaining a globally diverse talent pool.
However, remote interviews come with their own challenges and risks. Without a physical interview, HR practitioners can only rely on digital copies of a candidate’s qualifications, which may be easier to fake than physical copies. Many physical cues that may give a fraudulent candidate away may be hidden by a web camera, giving interviewers very little information with which to make proper judgements.
To hire the right employees and ensure that you are bringing only credible candidates into your organisation, stringent background screening is an absolute must. But what if you start to suspect that your new hire is not as qualified as they say after joining your company, and they start to exhibit inconsistencies compared to what their experience indicates? This is where private investigations firms have an important part to play.
While background screening is usually conducted before a candidate is hired as a preventative measure, private investigators may be engaged to conduct further discreet enquiries which are often done after an incident has been reported, or if red flags have been raised. What are some areas that private investigations firms could help in?
More in-depth fact-checking and surveillance
Although background checks and screening processes allow employers to verify qualifications and mitigate risks like fraud, there may be undiscovered information about an employee that requires deeper analysis and comprehensive investigations to uncover. This is where a private investigations firm can help.
If there are allegations that your employee may be involved in unethical activity, private investigations firms can be engaged to conduct discreet enquiries with previous co-workers, partners, customers or managers to find out more about the individual.
Private investigations firms are also licensed to conduct surveillance on individuals and provide detailed checks that may not fall under the purview of background screening companies who rely on publicly available information.
Assisting with due diligence checks
Along with employee investigations and background checks, private investigations firms also partner with background screening firms and law firms to conduct due diligence checks.
These checks are usually performed on any person of interest or work relating to mergers and acquisitions where thorough audits and reviews of individuals must be conducted before the business transaction can proceed. This can be important for jobs that involve financial responsibility, such as in the banking and finance industries. Such checks include financial checks to determine an individual’s financial stability.
Additionally, private investigations checks may also be done on personnel who may not be directly employed by the client, such as when onboarding critical board members and advisors.
Providing even more value to clients with a wider range of services
With the right private investigations partner, background screening companies can provide even greater support to their clients when conducting background screening, performing due diligence checks, fact finding and more.
Learn more about our private investigations partner and find out how we can help you hire the right individuals for your organisation.
