Tag Archives: background check

Background Screening, EU, News

Sterling pushes forward with European expansion

With a growing demand for local language capability as part of a global background check experience, Sterling, the leader in employee screening services, is expanding its international operations by opening a European base in Wroclaw, Poland.

While initial plans to open a physical office were delayed by COVID-19, Sterling remained resilient and hired its first employees in Poland virtually in mid-May. Since then, the business has successfully onboarded and trained all new starters to be fully operational despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.

The company’s decision to open an office in Poland was conceived as a result of extensive analysis, as well as discussions with clients where fulfilment in local languages was in high demand. This prompted Sterling to conduct a search to identify a base for a European office that could serve a multitude of markets.

After whittling down locations, Sterling selected Wroclaw, Poland, due to the country ranking highly for several criteria, with easy transport links from its UK headquarters in Swansea, and the vast array of linguistic skills available in the country. The Poland team are already serving customers and is set to quickly scale from five to 40 staff, serving 13 languages in Europe.

Steve Smith, MD of Sterling, commented on the move, stating:

“Last summer, we conducted a client advisory board meeting where businesses shared what their perception of a truly multi-lingual experience looked like. While there are great levels of language fulfilment in areas such as form-filling software, truly regional local language capabilities are far rarer. We’ve had multilingual proficiencies from our HQ in Swansea – but this move will allow our approach to flourish.”

“We are delighted with how well we have been able to get operations up-and-running in the midst of a chaotic last couple of months. All of our staff in Wroclaw are now fully operational and serving our clients, saving them time, money, and providing a more complete, holistic experience for anyone screened in these regions.”

Kate Ellis, VP EMEA Operations at Sterling, commented:

“The increasing globalised nature of business and society at large calls for a far more tailored approach when conducting crucial business processes like background checks – perhaps even more so with the rise in remote, fluid workforces that has been accelerated by recent events.”

“By ensuring there is local language expertise on the ground in Poland, Sterling will be able to take its customer fulfilment to the next level – and ultimately reduce risk for clients and candidates. We are delighted with our results so far and the speed with which staff have been trained and onboarded during COVID-19.”

“From our company analysis of our Swansea operation and business in Asia, local language capability has been shown time and again to have vastly better results. Going forward, we will also be able to offer great opportunities to our internal staff, and continue to hone our expertise. I’m truly looking forward to developing our operations further in Wroclaw to better serve our customers.”

Background Screening, HR News

Sterling highlights need for robust background screening in light of increased employee fraud

Leading global background screening provider, Sterling, urges businesses to take background screening more seriously in light of a slew of recent incidents in the healthcare sector where employees spent a number of years in situ after falsifying qualifications.

With a former NHS boss in Oxford receiving a suspended prison sentence after claiming a false university degree, and a senior radiologist lying about being a qualified GP – the company has highlighted the need for healthcare providers to have stronger screening processes, and stressed that these incidents can be better prevented with the right checks and balance.

However, this is not just limited to healthcare. According to a YouGov survey, 40% of respondents admitted to having lied about their education or qualifications. Meanwhile, research by HEDD (Higher Education Degree Datacheck) revealed that only 20% of employers perform proper checks on applicants’ qualifications.

Commenting on the rise in figures, Steve Smith, Managing Director EMEA of Sterling stated:

“Unfortunately, this kind of fraud is not uncommon. With an explosion of ‘diploma mills’, where fake qualifications can be easily obtained – dishonesty is becoming easier than ever. As these methods become more sophisticated, the need for robust screening processes is crucial.”

“This is even more relevant in sectors like healthcare, where fraud could have a direct impact on the safety of members of the public. While in these recently identified cases, the perpetrators were caught – without reviewing vetting protocol, there remains a risk that others could fall through the net. Fortunately, with the right screening processes, these incidents would have been preventable. Education verification, among other, more common checks such as criminal record screening can shed light on candidates to ensure that businesses limit the risk of a bad hire.”