BY LAW, an employer is allowed to do any check that is relevant to the position applied for, says Kirsten Halcrow, MD of Employers’ Mutual Protection Services (EMPS), “SA’s oldest screening and vetting specialists”. This, she allows, is open to some interpretation.
“However, it’s legislated that a security guard cannot have a criminal record, for instance. And the banking and insurance industries are highly regulated in terms of criminal records and even more so in terms of credit records. One of the few laws that govern the space we work in is the National Credit Act,” she says.
Common checks include qualifications, identity document, fingerprint verification, credit checks and the increasingly important criminal record checks.
Why a credit check might be relevant for someone applying to be, say, a receptionist with no access to a company’s financial dealings, or even petty cash, might not be immediately apparent but “there’s an integrity element to it”, says Halcrow. “It’s about employing someone who can keep their own house in order.”
Employers are obliged to ensure that potential employees are aware of, and consent to checks. Something few potential employees might be aware of is that they have the right to see the results of the checks.
See the full article; http://www.bdlive.co.za/indepth/growthengines/2015/05/19/criminals-and-fraudsters-need-not-apply