Kroll launches screening register

Mon, 23 Feb 2009

Research from global risk consulting company Kroll reveals that more than 2m Britons have missed out on a new job opportunity because former employers have delayed or failed to provide them with a reference. 

Kroll’s Background Screening division has today launched a National Reference Register (NRR) to give organisations a referencing system in which employment data from all past employees is centralised and stored electronically.

With one in three Britons (35%) claiming they have had to chase their former employer at least once for a reference when changing jobs, Kroll’s findings highlight the backlog in administering references for past employees within the UK’s busy HR departments.

Indeed there are some 1.2m employees who state that they have had to contact their previous employer four or more times to obtain a reference for a new job. 

The cost of administering employee references can run into thousands of pounds each year for large employers such as those in the financial services, retail, hospitality, professional services and public sectors.

Tony Shepherd, business development director for the Background Screening division of Kroll, says: “HR departments can be frenetic places and it’s perhaps unsurprising that the administration of providing employee references can take a back seat to other priorities.

“We believe that our new National Reference Register offers a credible alternative that provides benefits to organisations, administrators and former employees alike.”