BS7858- The Security Screening Standards

Employers face all sorts of risks when they set out to hire new employees. Candidates may be fraudsters looking for ways to steal money from the organization, they may be agents of demonstrators looking to undermine the company for ideological reasons, they could be intelligence operatives looking for information to sell or provide to other organizations, or they could simply be lying about their qualifications in order to get the job.

Given the various ways to commit fraud, from forging documents to lying on CVs, employers must commit large amounts of time and energy to vetting candidates. The more secure the environment, the more time and energy needed to investigate the candidates.

In vetting these candidates, companies also need to be mindful of these candidates’ rights to privacy and data collection.

The BS7858 security screening is a level of security check that requires thorough investigation while navigating these risks and rules. In order to assist with all this, the British Standards Institution published a paper in 2019 called the BS7858 Security Screening, which outlines guidance and recommendations for those performing the investigations. It covers the legal rights of the background checkers as well as those being investigated. By following this paper, background checkers can provide accurate assessments of candidates while staying within legal boundaries.

The paper is written to the people doing the background checks, and covers the topics needed, from the different types of back ground check to methods of performing the checks. It starts by outlining definitions, the scope of the paper, and the reasoning for offering the information. The document outlines the proper methods of training screeners before going into the screening process.

According to this document, after obtaining permission, the screeners need to acquire several forms of identification and proof of employment and education, then obtain any evidence which would “reflect adversely upon their suitability for the proposed employment.” It goes on to describe the process for completing a preliminary check, a recommendation for a conditional offer of employment. Upon acceptance of the conditional offer of employment, a full background screening will be done, either for a 5-year screening or a ten-year screening period depending on the job.

It gives guidance on if a company uses a third party to do the background checks, and then gives the guidelines on how long the records are to be kept based on the results and subsequent type of employment.

By adhering to this document, Complygate background checkers is assured to be compliant with existing laws while performing as thorough background screenings as is allowed, bringing the best protection for companies available.

Performing background screenings for other companies allows Complygate to focus on finding things that nefarious actors may be trying to hide. There are many different types of background checks, differing based on type of job and need for security, so using a company focused on these checks helps keep things from falling through the cracks.

Using the BS7858 Security Screening, Complygate can reduce the risk to companies of infiltration by people who intend to harm the company in one way or another.