Current Employer requesting background check

reeceydee

I have been employed for the past 8 years. My employer has just asked me to scan copies of my passport and birth cert and upload them to a external background checking company.

A couple of things about this are causing me concern. The first one being that the website that they have asked me to upload the details to appears to be insecure. The username is basically my name with a couple of digits after it, the password is the same as the username. There does not appear to be an option to change the password. Once you log on, apart from scanning the documents in there are other questions that have to be completed such as whom my electricity supplier is.

Second of all, I do not work in the banking or financial sector so I do not see why a background check is necessary.

There was nothing in the job advertisement stating that this had to be completed and there is nothing in my contract that states anything about background checks.

I wondering if my employer has the right to insist that I complete the background check.....

Any advice or opinion would be greatly appreciated.

Alter_ego

reeceydee wrote: »

I have been employed for the past 8 years. My employer has just asked me

Have they "Asked" or instructed/required?
Do you work with children/vulnerable people?

InsideInsurance

The security aspect is only a concern if you can see what you have already uploaded/ questions you've answered. If you cannot then the worst that their poor security can do is allow someone else to answer for you but no issues with your privacy.

Background checking is getting increasingly common to be honest, its traditional in FS, jobs with cash handling or dealing with the vulnerable but elsewhere its happening too. What do you do and what does your company as a whole do?

reeceydee

Alter_ego wrote: »

Have they "Asked" or instructed/required?
Do you work with children/vulnerable people?

They have stated that they require.

I don't work with children or vulnerable people.

InsideInsurance wrote: »

What do you do and what does your company as a whole do?

I work for an out sourcing company supporting a website.

It has nothing to do with banking or finance.

InsideInsurance

reeceydee wrote: »

I work for an out sourcing company supporting a website.

It has nothing to do with banking or finance.

Does the whole company only deal with just that one website? Are they hoping to have other clients outsource to them in the future? Is the existing contract coming up to tender again?

Sounds like the sort of thing a company does to convince others that they are a fit and proper organisation that others can trust.

reeceydee

They have several contracts with different companies so I think your right about what your saying. Perhaps trying to get some type of certification.

I just don't want to give over the requested information unless I'm legally required to.

*puts on tinfoil hat*

TBagpuss

Have you asked your employer why thy want this now?

PlutoinCapricorn

They may just want to ensure that you are entitled to work in the UK.

WobblyDog

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

They may just want to ensure that you are entitled to work in the UK.

That's what I suspect as well. Everyone in my company has to submit witnessed photocopies of their passport for checking every couple of years, even though most of us are as British as Yorkshire pudding.

The website you are being asked to upload the detals to does sound a bit insecure though.

PlutoinCapricorn

Common sense does not apply: apparently it is discriminatory to just require this of people who seem ... not as British as Yorkshire Pudding!

marleyboy

Its pretty standard nowadays, just one aspect is to check immigration status.