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BS7858 has changed: here’s what you need to know The BS7858, which lays out requirements for companies performing background screening for employees in a secure environment, has been changed by the British Standards Institution (BSI). BS7858:2012 was replaced by BS7858:2019 in September 2019, with the 2012 version being fully withdrawn on March 31, 2020. The BSI offers a more detailed explanation in their BSI Standards Publication, purchasable from them here. Recently, there has been a lot of confusion and misinformation…

Care worker background checks considered being relaxed as antivirus strategy.   According to the Nursing Times, emergency planning is being conducted to limit the potential impact of a severe COVID-19 outbreak in the UK social care sector. As a result, former social care workers who are seeking to return to the industry may have their criminal record checks relaxed, as well as staff potentially being relocated to places where the coronavirus impact is more severe. “It must be recognised that…

Social Media Screening: A guide for HR As a hiring manager, you’ll almost certainly request a candidate’s CV, covering letter and their references – but how commonly do you request their social media profile? With the titanic growth of social media, HR departments have been forced to change the way they perform background screening. Despite this, the concern of privacy and legal implications has kept many employers from conducting social media screening. However, with some studies showing as much as…

Social Media: Fake profiles and seemingly legitimate information This article illustrates just how easy it can be for people to create fake social media profiles, with information that seems completely legitimate. Read the article to find out how an overconfident CEO and a motivated PA managed to teach an entire business an important lesson in information security. It’s not every day you get challenged to hack a business leader. But when Jake Moore, a cyber security specialist at ESET, was invited to…

Online Reputation Screening: A guide for SRA-regulated firms dealing with offensive communications online As our online and offline personas increasingly converge, the spotlight is being shone on law firms and the online behaviour of their members. The SRA has recently updated its guidance, warning “the same ethical obligations of professional conduct apply in an online environment”. We take a look at what this means in practice and how law firms can ensure compliance today. What online behaviour is offensive? The SRA…

Screening and remote recruiting: hiring blind or the personal touch Considering how internationally mobile the modern workforce is, it’s not uncommon to hire someone you’ve never met in person when interviewing candidates relocating from abroad. However, social distancing has made this a reality for even domestic hiring businesses as interviews are made impossible. There are pros and cons to this aspect of the recruitment process. You lack the ability to make that instinctual “chemistry” judgement, the feeling of whether this…

New research has emerged suggesting that around a third of employees have been requested to commit furlough fraud during the Covid-19 lockdown - along with staff experiencing pay cuts, or even deportation threats in addition to being furloughed. According to a survey by Crossland Employment Solicitors, 34% of employees have been asked by their bosses to work while being furloughed by their company. At one manufacturing firm, staff received a 20% pay cut as well as being expected to continue…

A new survey has revealed that 90% of employers factor candidate’s social media accounts into their hiring decisions – and furthermore, 79% have rejected a candidate based on their social media content. It’s a challenging time to be in the job market and this article goes into detail about how you can improve your personal brand - and get through the screening process. Check out the full article here.   What Employers Look for in a Personal Brand Almost all…

Shout: for support in a crisis Credence is proud to support Shout as our chosen charity for 2020. When saying it aloud is tough, let your fingers do the talking. Don’t forget that if you’re experiencing a tough time and don’t know where to go, you can text them on 85258 to speak over text with trained Crisis Volunteers. Who are we? Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis…

PBSA and HR.com Release 4th Industry Survey Results   The PBSA and HR.com have collaborated to examine industry trends in the employment background screening industry. Their report goes into detail about what checks are being conducted - on who and how often. The report also examines the increasing value of international screening opportunities. PBSA commissioned HR.com to conduct the 4th annual survey of our end-user community. This report reveals emerging trends in who is being screened and how often, what…