Pre Screening Checks - Been here 18 Months

[ads1980]

Afternoon all,

Just wanted to see what you all thought of this?

I have been in a contract around 18 months now and my agent has advised that the client require back ground checks to be carried out on existing and new hirers. This invloves both a credit check and criminal check.

My Agents have sent out the following email to all the contractors (I have edited out anything too personal) and I have sent back a reply telling them I am not taking part in this as it would put me in the realms of IR35. Let me know what you think..........



You are going through a recruitment process with a company that employs
******************** to conduct pre-employment screening.

In order to facilitate this process, you are required to complete an
application form online. If you are unable to gain access to the internet,
please contact your future employerýs Human Resources department.

There are two parts to this email; please read both carefully. The first
part explains how to get access to the site. The second part explains
which documentation you may need to complete the form. It is a good idea
to print out these instructions before you begin.

Part 1

To access the form, please go to the link below. This link will take you
to a secure site, and prompt you to supply the username and PIN number
shown.
- Site: https:************
- Username: **************
- PIN: *************

Should you have any problems accessing the site or logging in, please read
the instructions below.

**Problems accessing the site**

- If you are unable to view the site please check with your IT
department or ISP that you able to view secure sites. Some internet cafýýs,
public libraries and employers restrict access to secure sites.

- If you are using Hotmail, Yahoo or another web email account, you may
need to open a new browser and copy and paste this link in.

- Please check that you are entering the web address exactly as it
appears. There is an S in the HTTP part of the web address, HTTPS means
that you are going to a secure site.

- If you are still unable to view the site please check the following
settings on your computer.

Please check that you have internet explorer version 6. You can view the
version you have by clicking on the Help Menu option and then selecting
the About Internet Explorer option. If you do not have version 6, you can
download it by going to this link.

Internet Explorer - Web Browser for Microsoft Windows

Also, please check under Tools menu, Internet Options, Advanced tab, then
scroll to Security and check that ýUse SSL 2.0ý and ýUse SSL 3.0ý are
ticked.

**Username and Password problems**

- If you are able to access the site but are having a problem logging
in please check that you are typing the username and password exactly.
They are both case sensitive which means that you have to type the upper
and lower case exactly as they appear.

- When you first log in you will have to set a new password. This is a
security measure to ensure that you are the only person able to access
your online form. Please be careful to choose a password that others will
not be able to guess and use a combination of numbers and upper and lower
case letters. It is important that you remember your password as you will
need to enter it next time you log in.

If you have tried to resolve the problem yourself by following the steps
above, but still canýt access the site or canýt log on, please contact
**************** for technical support. The email address you
should send your query to is ******************************.

Please give as much information about the problem as possible, for example
the error that you are receiving and any additional information that will
help ******************** support to resolve the problem. Please
also provide your name and daytime contact details.

Part 2

In order to complete the form, you will require the following:

- Up to 6 years worth of addresses (including postcodes and flat
numbers, where relevant)

- National Insurance (UK), Social Security (US), Social Insurance
(Canada), National Identity (other) and Passport numbers, as appropriate

- Details of all academic and professional qualifications, including
all grades awarded, names & locations of institutions/professional bodies,
and attendance dates

- Up to 10 years worth of employment history, including employment
dates, names & locations of employers (including recruitment agencies,
where relevant), salary, and name & position of up to 2 line managers per
employment *

- Details of your activities during any gaps in your career history **

* If self-employed, you will need to provide contact details of up to 2
business referees for each relevant period
** You may be asked to provide supporting documentation or contact details
of a referee who can vouch for your activities during the relevant periods

You may also be required to provide the following:

- details of all company appointments as a director, secretary or
partner (present and past)

Please note that there is a save & log out option so that you can complete
the form in stages.

[prozak]

WOW.

What are they checking for?

Who is this?

There is no way I could even answer some of those questions.

Having said that. This is not an IR35 pointer anymore than requiring security clearance.

[ads1980]

WOW.

What are they checking for?

Who is this?

There is no way I could even answer some of those questions.

Having said that. This is not an IR35 pointer anymore than requiring security clearance.

I dont want to name names obviously.
I saw the follwing as an IR35 indicator...

"In order to facilitate this process, you are required to complete an
application form online. If you are unable to gain access to the internet,
please contact your future employerýs Human Resources department.

There are two parts to this email; please read both carefully. The first
part explains how to get access to the site. The second part explains
which documentation you may need to complete the form. It is a good idea
to print out these instructions before you begin."


I am employed by Myco and not going through a recruitment process and also, as I am not going through a recruitment process, I dont know who my future employers HR department are as I am soley employed by Myco and not the agent or the client.

[northernladuk]

Afternoon all,

Just wanted to see what you all thought of this?

I have been in a contract around 18 months now and my agent has advised that the client require back ground checks to be carried out on existing and new hirers. This invloves both a credit check and criminal check.

My Agents have sent out the following email to all the contractors (I have edited out anything too personal) and I have sent back a reply telling them I am not taking part in this as it would put me in the realms of IR35. Let me know what you think..........

I think you need to wake up and smell the coffee. You are willing to not partake in a process which is required to make sure you are allowed to work for you client by quoting something that has f all to do with the client and completely incorrect anyway.

Way to go.

Screening has f all to do with IR35. I just can't begin to explain as it they are so different.

IR35 is a tax thingumyjig about you being a disguised employee, screening is to make sure you are not a risk to your client and their customers i.e. heavily in debt and working in a bank is not good, having drink driving convictions in a delivery job is not good.

You really have to understand these things. IR35 is not a tickbox, it is a form or working you need to get to grips with.

Just because a mail mentioned HR department or has 'words' that sound like permie doesn't mean they do.

[northernladuk]

I dont want to name names obviously.
I saw the follwing as an IR35 indicator...

"In order to facilitate this process, you are required to complete an
application form online. If you are unable to gain access to the internet,
please contact your future employerýs Human Resources department.

There are two parts to this email; please read both carefully. The first
part explains how to get access to the site. The second part explains
which documentation you may need to complete the form. It is a good idea
to print out these instructions before you begin."


I am employed by Myco and not going through a recruitment process and also, as I am not going through a recruitment process, I dont know who my future employers HR department are as I am soley employed by Myco and not the agent or the client.

Where in that did you see recruitment process? You assume HR is invloved it is about recrtuitment? HR do a lot more than recruitment you know.

You are going through a validation process that everyone that works there has to go through, employee, contractor, cleaner and security alsation dog.

[ads1980]

I think you need to wake up and smell the coffee. You are willing to not partake in a process which is required to make sure you are allowed to work for you client by quoting something that has f all to do with the client and completely incorrect anyway.

Way to go.

Screening has f all to do with IR35. I just can't begin to explain as it they are so different.

IR35 is a tax thingumyjig about you being a disguised employee, screening is to make sure you are not a risk to your client and their customers i.e. heavily in debt and working in a bank is not good, having drink driving convictions in a delivery job is not good.

You really have to understand these things. IR35 is not a tickbox, it is a form or working you need to get to grips with.

Just because a mail mentioned HR department or has 'words' that sound like permie doesn't mean they do.

I agree completely, my argument isnt against completing it but more with the way it has been worded by the agent. And also, the screening checks are not being carried out by the client but a 3rd party to the agent.

[ads1980]

Where in that did you see recruitment process? You assume HR is invloved it is about recrtuitment? HR do a lot more than recruitment you know.

You are going through a validation process that everyone that works there has to go through, employee, contractor, cleaner and security alsation dog.

Sorry NLUK...I missed that bit off on the copy and paste....

Here it is....

"You are going through a recruitment process with a company that employs
******************** to conduct pre-employment screening."

[northernladuk]

Sorry NLUK...I missed that bit off on the copy and paste....

Here it is....

"You are going through a recruitment process with a company that employs
******************** to conduct pre-employment screening."

I think you are getting too tied up in the wording. So they don't have a contractor worded version. Big deal.

Ask the agent if everyone has to go through this, if he says yes then you are ok. If he says only employees you worry.

To say you won't go through it would automatically, in most cases get you walked.

[ads1980]

I think you are getting too tied up in the wording. So they don't have a contractor worded version. Big deal.

Ask the agent if everyone has to go through this, if he says yes then you are ok. If he says only employees you worry.

To say you won't go through it would automatically, in most cases get you walked.

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

This is also a grey area. All the other guys here that use a different agency have not had to do this as yet and dont know anything about it. I have asked a few of the permies and they have all had to take part in it. Now it may be that we are the first ones on the list so to speak but I dont know. There are also some direct contractors here and none of them have had this mentioned to them.

[northernladuk]

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

This is also a grey area. All the other guys here that use a different agency have not had to do this as yet and dont know anything about it. I have asked a few of the permies and they have all had to take part in it. Now it may be that we are the first ones on the list so to speak but I dont know. There are also some direct contractors here and none of them have had this mentioned to them.

Just get a clear answer from the agent, in a mail if possible then you have at least prove you have done some due diligence in making sure as well.

You with a bank or a financial client? This is similar to the getting a passport to prove you are eligible to work in the UK thing about 2 years ago. It became the companies responsibility to prove everyone working for them was eligible so had to all give a copy of your CV, however long you worked there. They asked the contractors, some of whom started complaining about IR35 etc... but it is the clients legal obligation to do so. You just have to see the bigger picture and understand the clients situation. If they legally have to do everyone then they are not treating you as an employee... everyone has to do it. People just jump on the IR35 band waggon to quickly.

Just to point out as well IR35 is a grey area with lots of flags and lots of pointers, none of which invidually make you in or out. Even if this was a pointer would you get yourself walked over something that is only a flag and may never get looked at anyway? Bit of common can help in situations like these.