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It’s natural to want to protect your business in every way you can. There are obvious ways of approaching this, such as securing your business properties with locks and alarm systems and getting a good business insurance premium. However, threats can also come from inside the business, from employees; this article looks at how you can use DBS checks to keep your business secure from potentially malicious individuals.
What is a DBS check?
First of all, what is a DBS check? DBS checks are the most prevalent kind of criminal background check available in the UK. They’re carried out by the disclosure and barring service, a non-departmental governmental body. There are three main kinds of DBS checks:
- Basic check: The basic check is the lowest level check; it looks for unspent criminal convictions and is a common requirement for the service industry and retail jobs. It’s also the only check that an individual can have carried out on themselves.
- Standard check: The standard check looks for both unspent and spent criminal convictions, cautions and reprimands. It’s often required for those operating in areas with high professional standards, such as the legal profession and accountancy. The standard check cannot be carried out by anyone; it can only be requested by authorised bodies.
- Enhanced check: The enhanced check covers the same information as the standard. However, it also includes any other information that the local police department considers to be related to the role being applied for. It’s generally a requirement for jobs with highly vulnerable individuals, such as in childcare and healthcare.
How do they protect your business?
DBS checks keep your business secure in multiple ways, some of which are listed below:
1. Legal compliance
One of the most important reasons behind getting DBS checks is legal compliance. Many industries require DBS checks by law, including most roles in childcare and healthcare. Failure to carry out a DBS check in these citations can result in serious legal ramifications, especially if an incident does occur.
2. Brand protection
While the legal and financial implications of criminal activity can be serious, arguably the most dangerous effect it can have is on your brand image. A brand that has taken years to develop can be tarnished by a single event, which can break the trust of previously loyal customers with relative ease. DBS checks help to ensure that these events don’t occur, further safeguarding your brand.
3. Find the best employees
Unfortunately, people aren’t always honest in the recruitment process. One of the most dangerous things that people can lie about is their criminal past. Through using DBS checks, you can make sure that you know as much as possible about a candidate’s past before putting them in a position where they could potentially damage your business. In addition, it helps to ensure that you only employ the best talent to help your business thrive.
You may also like: How You Can Maintain Security If Your Business Has a Hybrid Work Model
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