Covid crisis and the retail sector: Why background screening is critical

The pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on businesses across all verticals.

While some segments are suffering from slowdowns and laying off employees, others are witnessing a boom and are even having to hire more people to keep up with rising demand.

The retail segment is one of the industries doubling up on recruitment because of the sudden spurt in demand for products and online delivery services. 

Right now, grocery store chains, convenience stores, fulfilment centres for online retailers and delivery companies are recruiting at record rates. While they need to hire quickly, businesses cannot ignore the importance of background screening.

Here are some reasons why the retail segment cannot afford to take them easy despite the recruitment rush in the Covid outbreak.

Saves time and simplifies the process 

Background screening is vital for organisations because it saves time and simplifies the recruitment process. Hiring managers need not call past employers and check references if they outsource background checks from experts.

They can simply have a good look at the applicant’s credentials, interview them and hire straight away if they find them good enough. It curbs the pressure on the hiring team, which becomes all the more vital amid the pandemic when retail recruiters are already under stress.

They can speed up the process and be confident about their choices, even as they have to match hiring targets within the shortest periods of time.   

Enables informed decisions

While the Covid rush requires retail businesses to hire quickly, they cannot just pick anyone to attend customers’ in-store, handle cash or deliver products at doorsteps.

Background checks, specifically a dbs check, get them in a safer place as they can be sure about having people without a criminal past doing these crucial jobs.

Honesty and credibility are critical aspects of retail recruitment when it comes to making informed decisions because the employees have to be entrusted with cash and, at times, high-value products.

So it makes sense to go the extra mile with verification of potential employees, more so when hiring quickly to fill the open positions. 

Eliminates the need for mid-season hiring

With the holiday season in full swing, employee demand in the retail segment is at the peak.

The last thing that a business will want to face at this point is a need for mid-season hiring, just because they think that the resources onboard currently are bad fits.

It can bring sudden and extreme pressure on recruiters, and they may even have to settle for unsuitable people to fulfil immediate needs. Fortunately, background checks can prevent this concern because they ensure that only the right people are picked, and there wouldn’t be a need to replace them during peak seasons. 

The current phase is a challenging one for retail businesses, and having the wrong people onboard can be worse than not having adequate resources to fulfil the demands. The best thing they can do right now is to empower their recruitment process with background checks.

Outsourcing the service from an expert makes sense because it ensures reliability and saves time.