The future of identity verification: how Reed Screening and IDEMIA are taking the employee verification process online

The pandemic has posed challenges to nearly every part of the economy, and recruitment is no exception. While remote and digital solutions for much of the employee screening process are relatively straightforward to implement, identity verification has been one aspect that has not been so easily resolved.

• With the temporary regulations from the Home Office introduced coming to an end on 21st June, employers will soon be in need of a more long-term solution to help them with their employee screening process.
• Reed Screening and IDEMIA have joined forces to develop a game-changing solution to the problem.

Right to work and identity verification in the UK

The UK right-to-work legislation requires employers to verify the identities of their new employees via a face-to-face meeting, during which documentation is inspected and other identity checks are performed to ensure the employee’s right to work in the UK, as well as their suitability for the role.

Whilst simple in concept, meeting this regulatory obligation can be complex and expensive in practice. Not everyone has photo ID and, even for people that do, it can be challenging and time-consuming to perform the various identity checks necessary.

Digital identity for remote hiring

To address these challenges, pre-employment screening company, Reed Screening, and digital identity specialist, IDEMIA, have joined forces to develop an identity verification service that can be carried out safely and remotely via a user’s smartphone.

In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a series of articles exploring the challenges of preventing identity fraud, the potential fraudulent activities to which employers could fall victim, and how employers can use digital technologies to address these various forms of identity fraud.

We will also look more closely into the Home Office’s Document Checking Service Pilot, how the Home Office has modified right-to-work regulations during the pandemic, how IDEMIA and Reed Screening are working with the government to safeguard personal data through new digital services and infrastructures, and how this will impact the recruitment process.

The pandemic has caused distress and hardship to so many but it has also forced us to think again about problems like identity fraud in the recruitment sector. We hope you’ll find the series of articles encouraging.