Many businesses might find navigating the murky waters of employee relations challenges. If your company wants to grow and thrive, you must ensure the right people are on board at the right moment. On the other hand, a few key elements must come together for this to work. The good news is that there are now turnkey solutions that can make the process so much easier.
Turnkey solutions are ready-to-use technologies that can be quickly implemented in a business, requiring the end user to merely “turn the key” to get going. It’s a lightweight approach to a digital strategy that helps companies get the features they need immediately and at a low cost. Quentelle’s turnkey, easy-to-use human resources suite is intuitive and ready to go when you are, freeing up your time for more strategic initiatives. Let’s take a closer look.
What is a Digital Verification of Employment?
Verification of Employment (VOE) refers to the official process companies follow to check prospective hires’ employment status and background. All or some of the listed references from a candidate’s previous jobs will be contacted to provide details on the applicant’s time at the company. Most companies will comply with the requested information even though they are not required to do so by law. In addition, federal government agencies do not limit the information that former employers might give to potential employers about an applicant. However, there may be restrictions on the kinds of data that can be disclosed for background checks under the laws of your state. When making employment verification inquiries, businesses typically ask for the following pieces of employment data regarding an applicant:
- Job titles
- Timeframe and length of employment
- Types of duties performed on the job
- Performance in the workplace
- Salary history and contributing payroll data
- Competence, proficiency, and expertise
- Workplace professionalism and attitude
- Any history of disciplinary action
- The reason they left the company
Employers who need to verify a candidate’s job history must do so by applicable state and federal rules, limiting the types of employment data used in hiring decisions. However, it’s common knowledge that verifying employment can be a trying experience. What ought to be straightforward turns out to be complex. If your company’s human resources team is in charge of checking references and employment records, the procedure can be lengthy and prone to mistakes. The amount of time needed to deal with this task varies according to:
- The number of candidates that need to have their credentials checked with many manual verifications
- Employees dedicated to the VOE procedure within the HR department
- The number of references from the candidates’ previous jobs
- How up to date the former employers’ contact details are
- How long it takes previous employers to respond to your employment requests for a VOE
Due to the time it takes to complete employment verifications and the information gaps that may arise, it is typically a waste of time and money for businesses to devote their resources to the task and then wait for a response, which may take weeks. If the hiring process takes too long, it could harm the business in terms of lost sales and risk losing a qualified candidate who decides not to wait for confirmation of employment and instead accepts an offer from a competitor. This leads to companies increasingly turning to digital platforms and automation tools like Quentelle’s VOE solutions to complete the Verification of Employment process promptly without sacrificing accuracy or unemployment cost management. With Quentelle, you can rest assured that the process of verifying previous employment is being handled correctly and by all applicable laws.
Quentelle’s VOE technology features a system designed with you in mind. It’s an easy-to-use system that verifies employees in their work environment that helps companies and employers secure the documents they need. Since we live in a digital age, using Quentelle’s VOE technology makes the verification process a breeze.
Why Are Employment Verifications Needed?
Investing time and effort into finding and hiring the best person for each open position can profoundly impact your company’s success. When making hiring decisions, one of the most critical factors is researching the applicant’s previous work experience. Verifying a candidate’s employment history is essential for making informed hiring and business decisions, like extending credit. Ideally, companies will check the applicant’s career history to ensure it matches their claims before extending a job offer. A business should be allowed to inquire about a potential employee’s previous work history whenever necessary and have complete confidence in their decision to recruit them.
Without such a system, the time and money spent on training new employees could be for naught if unfavorable information about them was uncovered after they were brought on board. The background check is an essential part of the hiring process. Still, many companies have not kept up with the technological innovations that have permeated the HR department in recent years. However, it is still crucial to do a thorough screening. Businesses need to safeguard their reputation by hiring only those who meet their qualifications and requirements. Unfortunately, discrepancies can be found in over half of all resumes submitted worldwide, highlighting the importance of verification. When comparing address, education, and employment verification among the group of resumes with discrepancies, it is clear that employment verifications have the highest rate of inconsistencies (almost 80%).
Using a cutting-edge and reliable platform like Quentelle, employers can review a candidate’s career history with greater certainty, knowing that the applicant has provided truthful information and that their claimed professional credentials are accurate. As a bonus, this will guarantee they have the right work experience to carry out the new position they are applying for. Additional benefits include:
- Checking applicants’ income before granting loans.
- Documentation of past employment in qualifying for state and federal benefits.
- Protection from identity theft and improved data privacy.
- Better hiring practices lead to a higher-quality workforce in the long run.
- Improved cohesiveness and morale among team members because of new personnel who quickly adapt to the established norms and values of the company.
- Employee theft and violence are less likely to occur if negligent recruiting practices are reduced.
- Increased safety and increased output in the workplace.
- Reduction in the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse.
- Better employee retention and less attrition.
- Improved compliance with laws and regulations.
Not only do digital verification solutions benefit employers, but employees can also reap the rewards, too. As a first and most visible advantage, candidates can demonstrate the authenticity of their digital credentials and choose which employers view their employment data. This can verify your previous employment and help you get a new job. In addition, this can help your resume stand out to potential employers by verifying your years of service at your previous job. The secondary advantages are particularly intriguing, though.
While verification helps establish work experience for prospective employers, it can also be used in other contexts. For instance, digital verification of employment is evidence of a proven track record. Financial institutions or insurance service providers, who rely on alternate data to back up their decisions, can use this as a reliable source of information compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. If you want insurance for yourself and your family or get approved for loan applications, this digital credential could be the deciding factor. These indirect benefits can be monumental for specific people and their loved ones.
Why is Employment Verification a Difficult Process?
Employment histories are notoriously difficult to verify. Considering the number of potential factors, it is easy to see why this is the case. Several of the reasons why are listed below:
Many Businesses Rebrand Themselves Every Few Years
Companies of any size can legally change their names in the event of a merger, acquisition, rebranding, or another significant event. For instance, if an applicant has previously worked for YYY Consulting, but the firm was acquired by ZZZ Consulting and moved offices, verifying their employment history with the previous company can be challenging.
Corporations Fail and Disappear
If your candidate’s previous employer has closed down, no one will vouch for their employment history. That’s why it can be hard to manually contact them to provide sensitive income data.
Employees Quit and Leave
There is no assurance that any of your candidate’s former coworkers will still be employed by the company, even if it is still operational. Getting a simple confirmation of employment would be possible, but that’s about it. Another issue is that your candidate’s colleagues may be laid off if their positions are duplicated, which can happen if businesses consolidate. After a merger, the combined company’s human resources department likely won’t have complete or up-to-date employment data dating back to when both firms operated independently.
How Can the Process Be Made Easier?
Employment verifications can be simplified by integrating a turnkey, easy-to-use Human Resource Suite like Quentelle with your existing background screening system. Using their proprietary VeriSafeJobs platform, Quentelle can provide cutting-edge featured solutions for VOE. Quentelle’s VOE solution will take your business to new heights by guaranteeing the safety of your data, streamlining and improving the user experience, providing detailed reports and comprehensive metrics, and providing first-rate service and support. By conducting a thorough digital verification of employment through Quentelle, your company can avoid the following pitfalls:
- Distrust within the company: Employing reliable employees is crucial to the success of any business. If you don’t feel confident in the qualifications of your staff, this may not be easy to accomplish.
- Cybercrime and fraud: According to a 2014 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners study, fraud accounts for annual losses of $3.7 trillion. Verizon also reported that internal misconduct accounted for 20% of recent cybersecurity breaches. This highlights the importance of comprehensive background checks for all prospective employees for data security.
- Consumers are put in danger: When an employee who deals directly with customers is caught engaging in wrongdoing, the first thing that will be raised is whether an employment verification was conducted.
- Safety risks in the workplace: The employer must ensure that their workplace is safe and conducive to employee health. Violent incidents in the workplace can have devastating emotional and psychological effects on workers.
The results of an employment verification can shed light on whether or not the candidate is telling the truth about their work history, provide context for any employment gaps, and indicate whether or not they would be a good fit for the company. Avoiding these steps before hiring a new employee could be deemed negligent. Supporting your HR team with an employment verification solution can help them go through the process swiftly and efficiently.
Conclusion
Verifying a candidate’s employment history can be a tedious and time-consuming task. However, it’s a necessary part of the hiring process to confirm that a candidate is qualified based on their resume’s claims and is a suitable cultural match for the business.
Humans are at the heart of what we do in HR here at Quentelle. We have compiled several HR processes that are crucial but often require manual attention into a streamlined software package. Using our turnkey, easy-to-use human resource suite, you won’t have to worry about the hassles and intricacies of keeping up with the latest HR trends and regulation compliance for your business and even save time.
Quentelle is here to help with all your employment verification needs, regardless of your field. We are an industry leader in providing employment and income verification solutions for businesses like yours in a timely, secure, and hassle-free manner.
Do you want to see a demonstration of our additional solutions and learn how they can help your business? Feel free to call us anytime at (888) 565-5515 or fill out our contact form.