How Do You Ensure Confidentiality in Employee Background Checks Without Alerting Current Employers?

Hello Friends,

Here, I would like to raise the issue of Employee Verification. It is one of the crucial parts of the recruitment exercise because more than 50 percent of CVs reveal fake information. For the purpose of employee verification, we may either get the help of some outside probe agency or we may do the BGC ourselves. But in both cases, confidentiality has to be maintained, and BGC has to be exercised in such a manner that the current company of the candidate in reference should not get to know that their employee is looking for a change; otherwise, this might prove to be a risky business for the future of the candidate in reference. However, it's very difficult to hide the fact while making the background check that the candidate has applied to our company.

I would like to invite suggestions from all of you, Cite HR community members, on how to do the Background Check with strict confidentiality. Hope to get an overwhelming response on this topic.

Amit Goyal

Dear Mr. Peer,

Thank you very much for your reply. Otherwise, I thought that nobody from the entire community has any suggestions in this regard. There are so many views but only one reply from you. Yes, you are very right, and this is ethical too, to do the BGC only after the employee has joined. But what if the information provided by the candidate is found to be false or fake? Or, it might also be possible that the previous employer did not verify the credentials knowingly just to get his ex-employee to suffer. Now, should we terminate the employee? Will it be ethical? This is really a difficult situation; that is why we did not get any replies, I suppose.

There may be one solution that I adopt usually. I just make a call to his last employer pretending that I am calling from some bank, and so and so employee has applied for a credit card or loan. I just want to get a few clarifications regarding his/her designation, salary details, and date of joining, etc. In this way, we may make an inquiry with full confidentiality. But one has to be a very good actor to make an inquiry in this manner... HAHAHA!!!!!! What do you say????

Amit Goyal

Dear Amit,

Reference checks/verifications can be done in such a manner that you can get inputs from both seniors and colleagues of the candidate. By obtaining feedback from both, you can better assess the individual.

Questions can be tailored to inquire about various aspects such as:
- Technical ability/job knowledge
- Attendance and punctuality
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Willingness to work for extended hours
- General attitude towards work/job
- Reasons for leaving, etc.

These questions can be adjusted based on the specific job roles being considered. For senior positions, different questions may be more appropriate.

This is my personal perspective. While it may or may not be correct, I personally follow these guidelines for cross-checking.

Regards,
Rinky

Background check is one of the 127 controls specified in ISO 27001 (information security management). The question of ethics comes into picture not during data collection but later. The question is: Does your organization exploit personal information (e.g., ethnicity, disabilities, political affiliations, etc.) to the detriment of the employee? For that matter, the "scanner" on emails/ CCTV's also infringes upon privacy.

My colleagues in the US/Europe would agree that even financial data is gathered as a part of running checks on an individual.

Surya

Hi,

Whether you are a good or bad actor, unless you are open enough to say that it is a background check from the candidate's new company, I don't think any former company would disclose these sorts of particulars to the banks or any similar institutions. Otherwise, the answer can be no more than "Sorry, the person is no longer associated with our organization." Banks and credit card companies need to know nothing more than that, either.

Regards,
Rani

Dear Rinky,

Thanks for your views. However, my question still remains the same - how can we do this in a confidential manner? We do not want the individual's current company to be aware that they are seeking a job change, in order to ensure their safety.

Any thoughts?

Rani: Thanks for your views. Could you suggest a way to handle this confidentially?

Surya: Thanks for your views.

Amit Goyal

Hi Amit,

I understand that you are considering conducting a Background Check (BCG) before the individual is officially integrated into your organization. Is that correct? Usually, the BCG is performed after the person has become a part of the organization.

To address this, you can include a clause in the offer letter or the employee handbook. This clause would state that if any information provided, such as documents, is found to be falsified, the employee may face termination.

If the BCG is conducted post-employment, there is no need for any subterfuge. The decision to terminate an employee lies solely at your discretion, depending on the severity of the misrepresentation.

Best regards,
Rani

Hi Rinky,

If the candidate is going through 3 rounds of interviews, and it's the Technical Panel who would decide whether to hire him or not. If a candidate clears all the rounds, then he would be competent, right? So, during reference checks, is it relevant to inquire about the competency level of the candidate?

It's the HR who should make a decision on whether he's a fit for the organization.

Regards,
Nidhin Jacob

Hi guys,

We have a very strong background check (BC) verification team in my company. The candidate has to undergo the BC, and unless and until he clears it, he cannot join. For some candidates who belong to particular locations of the country, such as Kashmir, the candidates have to undergo criminal verification as well.

Regards,
Dixita

Hi Rani,

Of course, we have such a clause in the appointment letter, but isn't it bad to play with the future of someone by terminating them later on only on humanitarian grounds? Even if the information provided is wrong, at least I don't find it good to terminate him/her and play with his/her future. Better to get all the credentials and antecedents verified before joining.

Your views?

Amit Goyal

Hi Amit,

Well, this discussion seems to provoke thoughts 💡 on the need for change on BGC. If we go by disguise to get info on the prospective employee, do we get all the info we need? We might obtain information on salary, designation, and period of employment. If we pose as credit card/bank personnel asking for credentials, can we inquire about his involvement as a team player or his attitude, etc.? So, I believe the BGC done prior to giving an offer may not be foolproof in its full sense.

But then, as you said, there is a humanitarian aspect involved if this is done later on. As I have mentioned earlier, termination can be based on the seriousness/implications it has on the current assignment. Otherwise, these could be points to consider in the performance evaluations to follow. The employee can also be given a written note on the discrepancies identified (as a progressive disciplinary action).

What do you think?

Regards,
Rani

Hi Rani,

You are right that we can't get the information about attitude and all before his joining, but even if we get this information after the employee has joined and we receive negative feedback, such as not being a good team player or having a poor attitude, would we be able to terminate him/her? I think not. That is why I am seeking a procedure for conducting background checks with full confidentiality. Regarding my attempts to disguise the method, such as using credit cards, it is not sufficient, which is why I am asking for other innovative ways.

Does any member have any suggestions?

Amit Goyal

Hi all,

I'm working with an IT firm in Delhi, and in our organization, BGC is done with the help of a third party. This process is performed between the offer release and the joining. I personally feel this is the right stage to conduct the BGC activity. The candidate has already resigned, and this is well known to the employer. However, it should be done without disclosing the details of the 'would-be' employer.

Please comment on my views.

Regards,
Poonam

Hi, josabraham.

Hahaha... nice question. On a daily basis, I ask the same question to a number of candidates. 99% of the time, I receive the following replies:

1. Better prospects and growth
2. Stagnancy in current role
3. No more projects matching my profile (software professionals)

Hi Amit,

You don't find it good enough to terminate an employee after getting him in your organization on just BCG grounds, which is very humane on your part. But we can't get all the required information if the employee verification is being done while he is still a part of any organization. I also tried to get information on the candidate by calling his current employer pretending to be a bank executive, but only received information that he is still working there during this particular period and how much he is earning. Details related to his technical capability, attitude, egoism, relations with colleagues, etc., cannot be obtained in this manner. For all this information, verification can only be done after the candidate has resigned.

If you find out that the candidate has provided incorrect details after joining your organization, you can terminate him, which would not be wrong on your or your organization's part as you have already mentioned that you have a clause in your Appointment letter stating the same. The candidate should be aware that this might happen in advance, and even then, if he has provided false information, you have every right to terminate him.

Regards,
Anu

There are 2 methods of verification:

1. Pre-Employment
2. Post-Employment

In the first case, you verify all the details except current employment. In the second case, there is no authorization required from the candidate because you would have all the powers to conduct BGC. Since BGC is mentioned as a compulsory component in the offer letter, there is no need to do it in disguise.

Coming to your second question, if you doubt that the letter the candidate has given is fake, you can always go to a site called [www.mca.gov.in](http://www.mca.gov.in) and check whether that company is registered under the government. Ask the candidate to furnish Form 16 from the company, which cannot be fake.

You can also conduct reference checks with his colleagues or manager by calling through a landline.

Any more advice, let me know.

Regards,
Guru Prasad

Hi Amit,

Here is my advice if your question is still not answered. In these circumstances, you have 2 options:

1. Directly ask the candidate in the BGC form whether to take a reference or not from his current employer. If yes, go ahead.
2. If not, you can verify all other components and the current employer once he is relieved from the company and after he reports to your company.

Hope your query is answered. If not, get back to me.

Regards,
Guru Prasad

Dear Amit,

Don't you think that if an employee is good, talented, and capable enough to do his work... Because the candidate has gone through the interview process with the technical person. And if they find them good... then what is the need for employee verification? If, after completing all the verification, the employee is not a good performer, then what will you do? So, I think, don't waste time on verification; instead, concentrate on the employee recruitment process.

Rupa

Hi all,

I need a mail format (what content should be written for an employee verification email). Please help me with this as soon as possible.

Regards,
Smrin

Hi Friends,

Could anyone please send me the employment verification form format, which is to be sent to the previous employers for verification? It's urgent.

Thanks

Hi Amit,

I go with the majority. You may be able to get the details on his attendance, salary, conduct, work expertise, etc., from his superiors/peers, or to an extent even if you pose as a credit card/insurance/bank agent. But details on his attitude, emotional quotient, etc., can only be obtained after he completes a stint at your workplace. The question of confidentiality and ethics does crop up, but when you are in the process of hiring an individual, you hire him for the position and groom him or feel that he would best suit. So the position carries high stakes, like being a key person in deliverables; the accountability chain could be long for that position. Hence, you need to do what you feel is best for the position and not think of repercussions. But my best suggestion would be to undertake the BGC after the individual becomes an employee and not during their time as a prospective employee. That could be mutually beneficial.

Dear Friends,

Do you have any procedures for Employee Verification/Background Checking?

Regards,
Shaik

Hi, This is Meera. I have worked with FADV for almost 4 years and know completely how the verification is done. No company is authorized to verify his/her credentials without their authority; however, if they are true and have not committed any fraud, they may sometimes authorize the verification of his/her credentials. As far as I am aware, this is the process; the rest would depend on their previous employment check as well because that would itself suffice in proving his/her authenticity. Kind regards.

Hi,

Are there any background check agencies in Hyderabad that can conduct checks in other locations as well? What would be the average cost?

Hi Meera,

I have a doubt. If a person has resigned from two previous employers citing medical reasons (which is in fact the truth), will it show him in a negative light when BV is done for his future employer? Secondly, will the person require a fitness certificate to prove that he is fit and fine to work? Please clear my doubts...

My name is Shilpa Raut. I'm working in an IT firm as an HR Executive. I'm glad to be a part of this Cite HR community. I need a favor from all of you. I want to know how I should reply to the employee verification mail. Should I include some positive comments on that particular candidate?

Thank you.

Generally, in our company, we conduct two reference checks with the reporting seniors from the candidate's previous companies. The final reference check is done after we have issued the offer letter, and the employee has given us the go-ahead, with the current reporting senior from their current company. This process ensures that the employee does not encounter any issues.

Regards,
Harshad

Hi, I have been selected by Accenture, but my previous company has closed down. Is there any problem with that? I don't have a PF account there or the TAN number of the company. However, I have provided my previous company manager's number, bank statement, PF number, and service tax number of the company. Will all of these documents help me clear the background check at Accenture?

My name is Mr. Rajat Biswas from Kolkata. I would like to share my details with you and seek your help. Currently, I am working at Accenture. My joining date was 27th October 2010. Recently, I have received an opportunity to join another company. However, during their background verification process, they have asked me a lot of questions that I find difficult to understand.

I began my career in September 2007, and before joining Accenture, I worked at several small companies where transactions were primarily in cash. I have documentation such as offer letters and experience letters from those companies before Accenture. I have also updated my profile on the National Skill Registry using my ITPIN, and all my employment, educational, address, and personal details have been verified by NASSCOM. I have also received a GREEN PDF report from NASSCOM confirming the verification process.

Despite providing the NASSCOM report and all necessary details, the new company I am to join (after resigning from Accenture) continues to question me extensively about my previous employment. I have not been in touch with my previous employers except for Accenture. I am concerned about what actions they may take regarding my offer, especially since I have already served 31 days of my 90-day notice period at Accenture.

I have been assured by HR that the new company will not revoke my offer under any circumstances. However, I am puzzled as to why they are not accepting the NASSCOM report. If their background verification process turns out negative, I am unsure of what they may do with my offer. Will they revoke it or make changes to my experience, designation, or salary?

If they decide to offer me a lower salary or different designation, it would be challenging for me to accept, considering the thorough verification process I have undergone with NASSCOM. I am now uncertain about my previous employers before Accenture.

Please respond and provide me with guidance on my next steps. Thank you.