During a pandemic, time is of the essence. This is true for every organisation.
One of the challenges society is facing at this critical moment is replacing and scaling up the workforce in vital areas as quickly as possible. In the current climate, organisations may need to replace employees for a variety of reasons, from being unable to work as a result of contracting COVID-19 and being ill, to having to self-isolate and not be in a profession that allows them to work from home.
It could be hiring healthcare staff to reinforce the numbers having to put in Herculean efforts to treat people during the outbreak. Or an increase in supermarket delivery drivers to ensure every UK citizen has enough food. Minimising the time it takes to recruit and screen people could make all the difference in supporting the UK in the fight against COV-19.
How to recruit safely in the pandemic
Unfortunately, the recruitment process is not immune to the challenges presented by the coronavirus. A process which normally requires face-to-face contact clearly must change in current times.
While conducting interviews over the phone via video calling software is a standard way of adapting to the situation, there are other situations which require inventive solutions. For example, how does someone prove Right to Work, which requires them to present physical document in person, if they aren’t allowed to attend a place of work?
Not only is this a question of speed, it’s also a matter of safety. Organisations screen candidates in order to protect themselves from risk; those risks do not disappear just because the world is in the grip of a pandemic. In fact, more home working can present new risks in terms of managing the remote workforce and keeping business and customer data safe. A balance must be struck.
Reed Screening’s Fast-Track process
To overcome these challenges and help alleviate the pressures on core infrastructure, support businesses of all sizes, and preserve jobs, we have been in conversation with the government about streamlining recruitment and employee processes.
And as a result, we have launched a Fast-Track process which drastically reduces your time to hire from days, to hours, at no extra cost.
Using the Fast-Track system, Reed Screening has already been able to help support organisations by reducing recruitment processes to just a few hours. This is achieved by a combination of remote interviewing, digital screening and 24/7 operations.
We have worked with MPs, the Home Office, DBS, and Disclosure Scotland to find practical solutions to achieving responsive and rapid employee screening and onboarding during these challenging times.
With their help, and utilising our 24/7 operating model, we have ensured that criminal record checking processes have become digital, created a redefined process for Right to Work compliance, and initiated an online strategy for Disclosure Scotland checks. We have also worked with regulators to redefine the referencing process to make it fit for purpose in our new world of work. All of this means recruitment and employee screening is counted in hours, not days.
More than ever, the world needs the right people, in the right place, at the right time. Our new service can help to achieve that.
If you are looking for more information about our Fast-Track service, contact Reed Screening on 0161 833 8855.
