Employee Screening FAQs

  • Why do we conduct Employee Screening?

We have talked about introducing Employee Screening on multiple occasions in the past as it came up as a request in several clients discussions and last as a part of the OSPAR audit we had. As we’re scaling as a company and business we need to perform our due diligence to ensure we are set up for compliance expectations, maximum protection and clients data security. 

  • Who will be responsible for conducting the Employee Screening and Background checks?

Human Made uses an external company called Sterling to conduct the employee screening and background checks. The People Ops team is responsible for collecting the necessary info and documents and triggering the process with Sterling. 

  • What information will be disclosed?

Depending on your job position, Human Made will conduct all or some of these checks: Criminal, Compliance and Sanctions, and Credit Check. We will outline to you which checks will be undertaken. You will need to provide documents requested by People Ops, who will then trigger the process. The Background check reports are flagged Green, Amber or Red. If the report is Green, no information will be disclosed on the report other than that the checks came back clean. If the results are Amber or Red, the report will include information on what is causing the Amber or Red flag. 

Below you can find Sample Reports provided by Sterling including a Legend with what each color means:

Sample 1: Legend 

Sample 2: Criminal Record Report – Green

Sample 3: Credit Check Report – Red

  • Who will see my results?

When the background check is complete, the final reports as demonstrated above in the examples will be sent to People Ops. Only People Ops has access to the reports. Red or amber flags may be discussed with relevant leaders or managers, but it will be disclosed on a need-to-know basis and will be treated as confidential.

  • What criteria are used for deciding on the level of checks? ?

We screen everyone in the company for Criminal and Compliance & Sanctions. Individuals with access to financial data will have an additional credit check.

  • What if the results came back flagged Red or Amber?

People Ops will discuss if a Background check report comes back Red or Amber, they will be relevant leader or manager will then discuss the results and reach a decision.

  • Where will the Background Check Reports be stored?

The reports are automatically stored on the Sterling platform with only People Ops that has access to them. Sterling Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and complies fully with its obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legislation pertaining to the correct gathering, safe handling, use, storage, retention, and disposal of personal information. (Sterling compliance, data protection and privacy policy)