Criminal records
Depending on the role for which a candidate has applied, employers may need to find out whether or not the individual has any criminal convictions before he or she can start work.
Employers can check job applicants’ criminal records with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). HR departments normally deals with DBS disclosures.
Government proposes time reduction for disclosure of spent convictions
Changes announced to make it easier for ex-offenders to find employment...
Proposal to erase minor convictions from criminal record checks
Government responds to court ruling that should help people who committed a minor offence get jobs.
Opening doors: the benefits of recruiting ex-offenders
With research suggesting skills shortages in some sectors are at their highest level since 2008, an increasing number of employers...
Tesco employee jailed over customer refund thefts
A supermarket employee has been jailed after being found guilty of stealing thousands of pounds in a scam involving customer refunds.
Thousands of police staff not vetted properly, report warns
Thousands of police officers and staff in England and Wales have not been properly vetted, a police watchdog has warned....
Top 10 HR questions July 2019: Spent convictions
There are limits to the circumstances in which employers can take a candidate’s past criminal convictions into account when deciding...
More firms commit to employing ex-offenders
An additional 230 organisations – including Greene King and Pret A Manger – have committed to hiring ex-offenders, as the...
How to navigate managers regime, GDPR and criminal records checks
How financial firms need to navigate the major data privacy implications of criminal records checks made necessary by the Senior Managers and Certification Regime
Supreme Court rejects government appeal on criminal record checks
The Supreme Court has rejected a government appeal against a human rights ruling won by a group of people who...
Oxfam’s ‘toxic work environment’ allowed sexual misconduct allegations to go unchecked
The charity Oxfam failed to tackle an environment that allowed sexual misconduct and bullying to go unchecked, according to an interim independent review.
Top 10 HR questions November 2018: employee or worker?
A number of recent employment tribunal cases have dealt with the employment status of people working in the “gig economy”....
Fifth of employers ask about criminal records in potentially unlawful way
Around a fifth of national employers – including a number of household name companies – ask jobseekers for information about...
What the Oxfam scandal can teach us about background checking
The recent scandals involving Oxfam and other charities have come as a surprise to many, but could these embarrassing allegations...
Oxfam sex scandal spreads to UK charity shops
The sex scandal engulfing Oxfam’s operations overseas has now extended to its charity shops in the UK, after its former...
DBS background checks not bringing the benefits expected
A National Audit Office investigation into the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) has found its modernisation programme is running three...
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