Employers - digital identity standards are changing soon. Find out how they impact Right to Work and DBS checks

During Covid-19 lockdowns, digital tech adoption has become the norm. Your candidates expect to be able to carry out tasks online, including pre-employment vetting. The UK Government is introducing a new set of standards to support right to work and criminal record checks being done digitally. These standards will protect businesses by ensuring the people you hire are who they say they are. As part of this, digital identity providers such as Amiqus will be required to go through an accreditation process. By using an accredited provider, you as an employer can be assured that the processes in place are robust, and protect your business.

What will this change in digital identity standards mean for you?

It will save you time, effort and money

Instead of spending days trying to manually chase and gather unverified documentation, candidates will be able to have pre-employment checks verified online, in minutes. Our research has found that this reduction in admin means a happier candidate, a happier team and happier hiring managers.

It will increase security and lower risk

Getting Right to Work checks wrong is a big risk to your business, both financially (up to a £20k fine) and also reputationally. These new standards will enable secure pre-employment checks and provide assurances that you take these risks seriously.

It will show you are a technological leader

Candidates expect a fully digital process. They want to engage with organisations who are forward thinking. Regardless of what your organisation chooses to do, this framework is not going away and if you’re not a part of the digital ecosystem that will be created as a result of this, you will be left behind.

How does this impact DBS criminal record checks vs. Right to Work checks?

DBS

From April, Digital DBS checks can only be completed using a certified software provider. A number of identity providers are currently going through the process of certification. By using a certified provider, DBS will know that your business is meeting the required digital identity standards.

Right to Work

From September, the option for your business will be to either go back to meeting candidates face-to-face to check documents, or use a certified digital identity provider. The home office has advised that organisations should start to consider this now, to ensure they are not left short. As well as going through accreditation as a certified digital identity provider, Amiqus also connects directly to DBS and Disclosure Scotland, which enables your business to seamlessly manage a full digital onboarding process from one centralised system.

This is a guest blog contribution for the REC website. The views expressed by guest writers reflect the individual's personal opinions.