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Quick exit for backdoor jobs
March 5 2007
Mona Ramavat, Times News Network
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Stringent background checks on employees have come to
redefine the hire and fire policy of most corporate
companies.
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It was nothing short of facing the firing squad for
hundreds of employees from two big companies who
were fired recently.
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| While most
were labelled 'non-performers', a few failed on the
employee verification check that their "fake'documents
were put through. Could there have been a harder way to
learn that fraudulence can't go scot-free?
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| "Certainly
not,'responds Jagat Jyoti Mohanty, HR manager with
Airtel, adding, "Integrity cannot be compromised. If an
employee's resume has any discrepancies, he will be
relieved of his/her responsibilities. Mohanty's company
will "soon outsource the background check operations to
an agency".
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| Several
companies are hiring detective firms to run checks on
potential and current employees. Explains Ashish Mathur
of Trident Investigation Network, a Delhi-based
detective agency, "Most companies get done a background
check of potential recruits.
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| In cases
where a large volume of talent intake is needed, the
process of verification continues even after
recruitment. A candidate's educational qualifications,
previous employment record and health record are usually
checked. |
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It's a basic check, and doesn't take
much time. Further investigations involve checking on
police records, family and lifestyle details etc for
high level employees, which could take anywhere from a
week to 30 days. |
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Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
is growing as an industry in itself. "Though in its
nascent stages, it is worth close to Rs 600 crores,
considering the high employment and attrition
rates,'informs Ajay Trehan, CEO, Auth Bridge, an
investigation agency. They perform well over 3,000
background checks every month and on an average, 30 per
cent resumes are found fake. Over the last two to three
years, the RPO sector has grown by 30 per cent,
according to industry sources. The reasons for the
growth are many. |
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Companies think of RPO as a
beneficial investment for long-term returns. Says Mukund
Menon, vice president, Satyam Global HR, "It has helped
build talent with the right qualifications and
experience. Since we operate in various overseas
locations, it is critical that all our associates be
compliant with the global standards that we adhere to.' |
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Companies dealing with financial
transactions and sensitive data have become extra
cautious about background checks. Topping the list are
BPOs, IT companies and banks. But other industries like
real estate, pharmaceutical and FMCGs that have
traditionally not used RPO services are also investing
in it. Typically, information pertaining to top and
middle level employees come under the scanner the most.
"On an average, companies spend four to seven per cent
of a potential employee's offered package on his/her
background check,'informs Trehan. Several companies that
have a small employee base conduct their own background
checks rather than investing in outsourced services.
Says an employee of a corporate bank, "We rely the most
on a candidate's previous employer's feedback and
reference letters.' |
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But a lot of fraudulence occurs in
details regarding past employment, where experience and
reference letters are faked. "Reference letters and
salary slips can be manipulated. If a company is
offering a package you can't resist, you are tempted
enough to change a few facts here and there,'shares
Giridhar Kumar (name changed), BPO employee.
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