UK businesses are still failing to fully comprehend the risks posed by today’s ever changing recruitment market, despite investment in screening services continuing to rise.

Companies UK-wide are still very much adopting a ‘tick box’ approach to employment screening rather than appreciating the full range of benefits on offer within the industry today, despite a trend of organisations across the board investing increasing amounts in related services.

These are the main findings of a new ‘barometer’ for best screening practice looking at employer behaviour around background employment screening across all sectors operating within the UK market today.

The report, compiled by Complete Background Screening (CBS) also shows that overall spend on screening services is increasing year on year across the board, but reveals employers are still yet to fully appreciate the opportunities now available to them in safeguarding their workforce and businesses overall.

Rachel Bedgood, CEO at CBS, said:

“Rises in the number of enhanced checks being made are conversely offset by a decrease in Standard checks in other areas. This is most likely due to the fact Standard checks in some cases are not compulsory, where Enhanced are, suggesting that the kind of roles becoming available across the board are changing.

“As a screening provider with more than 10 years’ experience, we’re left wondering, how many businesses are fully engaging in employment screening as a responsible approach to safeguarding their workforce and overall finances – and how many are simply increasing their uptake of screening services as a ‘tick box’ exercise in order to simply comply with legislation, for example.”

Working with private, public and third sector public bodies, and with analysis of never before seen private company data, leading UK screening provider CBS commissioned the report to provide employers with a screening industry summary from which they can measure, adapt and improve their own processes accordingly.

As one of the UK’s leading employment screening providers, CBS works across all sectors to maximise efficiency savings during the employment screening process. Responsible for introducing a range of game changing hi-tech solutions to a largely paper-based industry, CBS specialises in quicker response and completion times.

Ms Bedgood added:

“We wanted to better harness the experience and knowledge CBS has built up over the years to more fully assist employers across the UK in making effective and well-informed decisions during the recruitment process on a wider scale.

“The resulting Barometer for Best Screening Practice we have created exists as a handbook designed to inform, enlighten and support those burdened with the responsibility of ensuring the wider protection of not just the general workforce, but the prosperity of entire businesses too.”