2019

Verifile, has been named ‘Best Enterprising Business’ at this year’s SME National Business Awards.

The ‘Best Enterprising Business’ award is designed to highlight the business that is a ‘mover and shaker’ in their sector, leads in their market, shows outstanding initiative, and is not just doing the same old things.

CEO and founder of Verifile, Eyal Ben Cohen, said: “This has been a whirlwind year for Verifile, and I couldn’t be prouder to see the hard work of everyone in the business recognised in this way.

“To be named as Best Enterprising Business demonstrates that we are doing exactly what we set out to do – bring innovation to the background screening sector, and helps our clients create trusted relationships with employees, clients and suppliers.

“What a fantastic end to the year. I can’t wait to see what 2020 will bring.”

Verifile qualified as a finalist for the national awards after winning ‘Best Enterprising Business’ at the SME Luton & Bedfordshire Business Awards in May. On the same night we also picked up ‘Bedford Business of the Year’.

Over 100 background screening experts are employed by Verifile, helping businesses across the world maintain robust recruitment processes and remain compliant with wide ranging legislations by verifying the credentials of employees, partners, suppliers and clients.

Due to the international nature of our business, staff at Verifile speak 19 languages between them, from Arabic to Urdu.

Speaking about why they chose Verifile as the UK’s ‘Best Enterprising Business’, judges for the SME National Business Awards said: “Verifile holds a market leading position in the UK. Amazing and well done.”

It’s been an incredible year for Verifile, having also been recipients of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s most prestigious business awards, recognising and celebrating business excellence across the UK.

“The recognition we’ve received this year highlights the growing demand worldwide for pre- and post-employment screening, as organisations look to mitigate their recruitment risks and insider threats,” added Eyal.

“Our business is all about helping employers to mitigate these risks. These include the risk of not complying with industry regulations or internal company procedures or of exposing their business to fraud, theft, brand damage, fines or lawsuits.

“Employers are all too aware of the potential fall-out from hiring the wrong person – and the cost, which can be financial, reputational or even human.

“Increasingly, this is now a global undertaking, helping businesses from around the world to expand their workforces.”

The UK’s Business Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, has put forward proposals that could make it illegal for businesses to withhold references for former employees.

The proposals are a bid to stop businesses using ‘nasty tactics’ and protect individuals who have faced harassment or discrimination.

As reported in People Management magazine, Leadsom said the proposals would “ensure individuals are protected, striking a fair balance between the interests of employers and workers”.

Adding, “we cannot tolerate the small minority [of employers] that use nasty tactics like non-disclosure agreements and withholding references to pressure employees into silence, often in cases of serious wrongdoing.”

If agreed, it would mean that for the first time ever, employers would be obliged to provide at least a basic reference for any former employee.

Demand for employment references continues to soar, as more organisations see the benefits of verifying their candidates’ employment history.

Hand in hand, employers continue to seek solutions to automate mundane tasks such as the issuing of reference letters to other employers or lenders.

“Systems like WorkPass which handle employment and income verification requests on behalf of employers, eliminate the need for HR teams to issue them directly. WorkPass also add a level of GDPR compliance that manual processes cannot rival.”

WorkPass is a free service that Verifile offers to our clients.

If you’d like to talk to us about how WorkPass can free up your HR team’s time, contact your account manager or our sales team at +44 (0) 1234 60 80 90.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has issued changes to the BS7858 which sets out requirements for companies carrying out background screening for employees in a secure environment.

BS7858:2019 came into effect at the end of September and replaced BS7858:2012, which will be withdrawn on 31 March 2020.

Amongst the updates to the new standard are recommendations around the use of social media screening. BSI are increasingly aware that what employees post on social media may create problems for businesses operating in secure and regulated environments.

The BSI now say: “For some roles, it might be prudent to seek additional information using best practice social media and other open-source internet checks to provide greater insights and reduce risk.”

In the update they also add a warning in the foreword about who should be carrying out the screening:

“…while social media and other open-source internet checks are now mentioned, they are not a provision of the standard and can only be used as additional information in any employment decisions. Care is to be taken when using this method so as not to introduce any unlawful discrimination…”.

Verifile’s Founder and CEO, Eyal Ben Cohen, said: “While social media checks have only been introduced as a recommendation, it does indicate that BSI’s guidance on the use of social media and open-source internet checks will soon become common practice.”

Other changes worth pointing out include:

• Financial sanctions checks are now mandatory for all roles (previously only senior roles were required)
• Enhanced identity checks are now mandatory

To discuss social media, open internet screening, fraud and identity checks, plus all the other checks that are needed for compliance with BS7858, contact your account manager or client services on +44 (0) 1234 339 350 or via service@verifile.co.uk.