Stories and rumours about candidates can emerge during the recruitment process, but how seriously should they be taken? Daniel Jennings looks at why hiring teams should tread carefully.
Unsubstantiated claims against candidates can rock the boat during a hiring process, leaving HR professionals in an especially difficult position.
With the digital era now prompting social media to pour further fuel on the flames, unproven rumours can be tricky to pursue, yet impossible to ignore.
If not handled correctly, businesses can later be found liable, and what may have begun as idle gossip risks spiralling into a damaging lawsuit on the grounds of discrimination or libel.
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How can HR professionals prevent this when unravelling unsubstantiated claims?
While the severity of allegations will vary, it’s important for HR to strike the right balance between remaining vigilant yet delicate throughout the hiring process.
It can be easy to assume that claims which haven’t been raised officially can be brushed under the carpet, but this only risks them re-emerging later down the line in a potentially much more damaging form.
Act quickly
Any allegation should be investigated and addressed quickly. When claims are made at an earlier stage of the hiring process, HR professionals have the gift of time, but must be confident in using it to their advantage.
By acting on the first sign of allegations, rumours can be either dispelled or investigated quicker, meaning potential damage to the business can be prevented before the candidate becomes an employee and is associated with the business’s reputation.
Conducting a thorough investigation that achieves a clearer picture of an originally vague rumour will help HR professionals to do this.
One avenue helpful for investigating a potential candidate, particularly in the earlier stages, is social media checks.
Depending on the severity of the rumour, hastily opting for routes such as employer references exposes the claim while it remains unproven, risking lengthy legal disputes.
Conducting some desk research, however, may be all it takes to prevent this – by scoping through a candidate’s digital footprint, HR departments can quickly identify anything that may pose an issue for the business’s reputation if the individual were to be hired.
Later stages
If rumours arise at later stages, however, it becomes trickier to part ways with candidates who were a real contender for the position.
Once the candidate is closely engaged with the team and has increased expectations of being successful, HR professionals will need to have an even clearer picture of the accusations to support their actions going forward.
At this stage, other candidates may also be awaiting responses. Meanwhile, the company still faces the preliminary issue of filling a role required for smooth business operations.
These time constraints only emphasise the need to act quickly – but with the increased legal risk, it’s important to make the right decision. Unproven allegations must be treated with care and caution.
Depending on the findings, HR teams should remain cautious around any sensitivities based on the job role or company sector.
Any conflicts of interest or controversial opinions can be a red flag which signals potential issues if the candidate was to be taken on.
For example, rumours relating to mishandling money will require particular attention for roles that require dealing with finances.
Direct approach
Another potential avenue is taking the allegations to the candidate themselves, which can be done in a blanket or direct manner.
General communication with all candidates should be a focus when the hiring process kicks off, before any rumours have the chance to surface.
This would entail detailing the business’s internal policies, any particular sensitivities they may have depending on the role or sector, and giving candidates the chance to flag anything that may pose an issue from the outset.
Unsubstantiated claims during the hiring process require urgent attention, with the onus on HR to protect the business’s reputation.”
Directly bringing the claim to the candidate’s attention can be useful in later stages of hiring, when the individual is more engaged with the team.
This can also speed up the process, potentially allowing a clearer view of the rumour’s origin. HR professionals must tread carefully, however, taking care to raise the issue delicately and ensure the candidate does not feel blindsided.
If rumours are proving difficult to investigate, even when other avenues have been exhausted, reference providers can be consulted in order to gain clarity. This can be a quicker route to uncovering details, but should by no means be a first port of call.
Making an unproven rumour public to employers, for example, risks the business facing legal claims such as libel.
Keep records
At every stage, HR professionals must keep documentation up to date and accurate.
The timeline of allegations progressing, along with the company’s response, must be clearly outlined – even when an investigation is seemingly closed, it may re-emerge later down the line, meaning these details become once again crucial.
Without the right information at hand, much of the efforts taken to unravel an unsubstantiated claim could be rendered useless. This will become especially clear in the case that candidates pursue legal action if they feel the claims were not handled fairly.
While a volatile situation, unsubstantiated claims during the hiring process require urgent attention, with the onus on HR to protect the business’s reputation.
Understanding the paths that can be taken when looking into an allegation is not enough on its own – HR departments must understand how these will vary in practice, depending on the company, job role and the stage or severity of the rumour itself.
Any allegation, whether raised officially or not, must be taken seriously and investigated. Often, the relevant information can be hidden in plain sight with the help of checks via social media and digital footprints. With this in hand, HR will be better equipped to extinguish the flames that unsubstantiated claims can start.
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