- The hiring process must be swift and effective in order to begin addressing staffing shortages
- Technology reduces the chances of error, with 10% of paper-based applications being rejected due to mistakes in the paperwork
- Technology has been tested and has proven its worth during the pandemic
Recently, the government announced a rise in National Insurance in order to fund social care. A significant amount of this amount will go on addressing the staffing shortage – a result of the pandemic, low wages, and complications in the hiring process induced by Brexit.
Faster Hiring
While increasing funding for new staff is a positive step, it does not solve the issue of getting new staff started in their new roles. This could be a particularly awkward problem if the nature of the training programmes means many will be starting at the same time. The last thing that anybody will want is there to be any delays in the compliance process.
If there was to be a backlog of applications prolonging the process, then it would either exacerbate an already difficult situation, or encourage a rushing through of applications that may lead to mistakes being made and important details being overlooked.
To prevent any issues, performing pre-employment compliance checks and all other necessary processes must be the way forward. The most obvious answer to this is technology.
The Benefits of Technology
The technology available in this field has shown over the past 18 months that it can cope with a high level of demand and the added complexity of Brexit, which is why the government recently extended the deadline for digital Right to Work checks until April 2022.
It is not just increased efficiency that makes technology the most effective solution. Unlike a paper-based application, the nature of technology means it will notice if you make a mistake or miss something out in the application, you will be notified before you send it off. This can save an awful lot of time, money and resources that could be bogged down in redoing applications.
Technology can also process and send several applications at once and remember the information that is put into it. This can assist the pre-employment process by reducing the time it takes to fill out multiple applications and ensuring that if an individual moves role within the same industry, a lot of the key information will already be stored on the system. This can make either shorten the process of applying for checks, or, in some cases, provide a full compliance profile of a candidate – meaning the new hire can start immediately.
For the staffing shortage in care to be resolved, new solutions are required to ensure that new recruits are onboarded quickly without compromising on security. Technology has the ability to process and check applications swiftly and thoroughly, and can be easily modified to adjust to the legal complexities of a post-Brexit world. Most importantly, we know it works – let’s use it.
About Talent Clouds
Our platform uses cloud-based technology to assist the onboarding and screening process for new hires by storing information in one place, reducing error, and tailoring what checks are needed by role. If you would like to find out more, you can read about our platform here. Alternatively, feel free to ask us any questions you have.