Running a retail business can be challenging, and increasingly so is recruitment. The average staff turnover rate in retail businesses was estimated at 50% in 2023, meaning within a year, half of staff will move on to another position. Recruiting is a top priority for many retail business owners and managers, who are all looking for reliable staff who will stick around in their positions. The desperation to get new staff can often lead to managers making quick decisions, but increasingly, retailers are doing background checks to try to reduce their staff turnover and get people who are not going to be unreliable, dishonest, or leave within a couple of weeks.
What is Involved in Background Checks
Background checks look at all of the information provided by a candidate and in many cases are a legal requirement. A Right to Work check, for example, makes sure that the candidate has the legal right to work in the UK. For many retail businesses, this is as far as their checking goes; many won’t even bother to follow up references. However, there are other checks which retailers may choose to do, depending on the type of position they are trying to fill.
DBS Checks
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) offers three levels of DBS checks, Basic, Standard, and Enhanced. These let employers look at someone’s criminal history, but the type of DBS check required depends on the job. For roles involving unsupervised work with children or vulnerable adults, an Enhanced DBS check is necessary. For most retail situation this does not apply, and all that a retailer can do is to ask for a basic DBS check, which looks at current and unspent convictions only. In practice, most retailers will not ask for criminal records checks, unless they are employing staff at management level, or perhaps to work in the cash office rather than on the shop floor.
Identity Checks
Identity Checks use websites and other online methods to confirm a candidate’s true identity. In some cases, applicants may misrepresent themselves, by pretending to be someone else, or giving false information about where they live. Usually this is done because they are trying to hide that they are in the UK illegally, or know they have a recent criminal record. Conducting an identity check adds a layer of assurance that the individuals joining your team are who they claim to be.
Adverse Credit Checks
An Adverse Credit Check reveals serious credit issues, such as Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs), County Court Judgments (CCJs), or bankruptcies. Running these checks can alert businesses to potential fraud or dishonesty among staff. Again, these checks are usually reserved for people who are going to be handling large sums of cash, or who are in a management position. Employers have to get your consent to run a credit check on you, and this sort of check will not affect your credit rating.
Employers have to find a balance between checking up on candidates, and getting people into position quickly, and each business will have a slightly different process for doing so.
