Illegal workers controlled

Illegal working controls

An important aspect of employment is the prevention of illegal working. The London Procurement Partnership (LPP) Framework – Lot 1 mandated the use of scanning technology to validate temporary applicants ID (Passports, Visas, ID cards, Biometrics….) for nursing supplied through staffing agencies to the NHS.

With an extensive background supplying temporary staff into the NHS myself I wholeheartedly approve this initiative. At the time I believed that all further frameworks for the supply of temporary staffing to the NHS would include this requirement.

Where this passport / visa / id scanning, technology is in force we have anecdotal evidence of a candidate hot footing it out of the door when they were told that scanning technology would be used to validate their passport etc. at one of our clients, only to repeat the exercise at another one of our clients not too far away. Could they then have gone and registered with an agency (or applied for a job directly) with one not using technology and gained access to a nursing post elsewhere?

I started my career as a nurse, I moved into recruitment and I am now the MD of uComply perhaps some could say Poacher turned Gamekeeper. My solution helps recruiters comply with this framework requirement by authenticating documents but goes a step further incorporating the full Home Office guidance which truly gives a Statutory Excuse. Bear in mind though, scanning technology is not just for recruitment businesses, employers will and do use passport scanners too, and both need to ensure their staff are fully compliant with the Home Office guidance.

Technology exists to spot illegal workers

Our existing clients (including agencies on Lot 1) send details of failing documents for a second opinion. Initially, clients send all failing documents, but very quickly obvious fakes are not sent. From those documents sent to us around 16% are proving to be fraudulent. From conversations with clients I believe this represents the tip of an iceberg.

Sure, you would not have been able to tell some of these fake/illegal documents with the naked eye. Consequently, you would be unlikely to face a fine if a Home Office inspection picked these up. But:

• Would you want to have people who would go to the lengths of obtaining illegal ID documents working via/for you?
• What else could they potentially do?
• And, from experience, word spreads throughout the illegal working community that a recruitment business / employer’s systems are vulnerable. Once one gets in, others are likely to follow.

Maybe it’s time to review your current procedures, not to wait for an LPP style mandate. Protect your Clients/Brand and differentiate yourselves as fully compliant.

Why not give me a call and find our how our technology could help?