Fraud and violence in the workplace are serious threats to business stability and can be significant in retail environments where, daily, employees have direct access to customers, commodities and cash.

Retail entities are responsible for protecting the business, staff and customers from any negative act of an employee. For this reason only competent, trustworthy and safe employees should be hired.

“Background checks play a major role in this risk management approach to the hiring process,” says Rudi Kruger, general manager of Risk Solutions at LexisNexis Data Services.

“The retail industry is dynamic and fast-paced and in many retail set-ups, stores remain open well after business hours. Manning these stores are employees who act as custodians of the brand in every aspect,” said Kruger.

“In this kind of fast-paced environment, retail employers who neglect to properly assess employees during the hiring process are prone to making poor hiring decisions, which could result in disgruntled customers, reduced sales, theft and fraud, reputational damage and decreased revenue,” he added.

“Background screening should form part of the retail loss prevention strategy,” says Kruger.

Kruger says the most important screening checks to include are criminal illicit activity; credit history reports; academic qualifications; employment history and ID verification, as they paint a more holistic picture of a candidate.

“Over and above the interview, these pertinent background checks are crucial when considering someone for employment. Background checks help employers make sound hiring decisions, thereby reducing threats by looking into a candidate’s profile, past behaviour and financial status,” he said.

As specialists in risk management, LexisNexis Data Services offers Lexis® RefCheck, a leading South African pre-employment and background screening solution that has redefined recruitment since launching in 2000. The online verification solution helps to automate the hiring process while ensuring a candidate meets a company’s employment standards.

Lexis RefCheck assists employers with verifying a wide range of personal information, including the identity of the candidate, information held by credit bureaus, criminal records, driver's licenses, global academic qualifications and professional association memberships. As an online consent-driven service, Lexis RefCheck allows 24/7 access which is password and username restricted.

A user can determine which information they require verification for each candidate, dependent on position or seniority. The solution carries no registration cost or monthly subscription fee, with users being charged only for usage via a monthly statement.

For more information, visit www.lnrisk.co.za or register at www.refcheckadvanced.co.za