Recruitment agencies
Information on how JobsAware supports recruitment agencies.
For Business・Recruitment agencies
How JobsAware supports recruiters
The purpose of JobsAware is to allow the communication of best practice, share common experiences and trends and work with the investigative and enforcement agencies to prevent and disrupt criminal activity. You can partner with JobsAware and join the free campaign here.
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Does the JobsAware initiative make a real difference?JobsAware are committed to making work-seeking safer for all. We do this by working with the industry (job boards, recruitment agencies etc.) to improve standards for work-seekers and non-permanent workers. Whilst the recruitment agencies and job board industries are typically in a competitive market, they agree that protecting the reputation of the sector and providing job-seekers with the confidence that tackling of fraud is a priority for a safer job search.
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What makes individuals and organisations vulnerable to attack from employment fraud?For individuals, the risk often comes from giving too much personal information without clarifying why it is needed and how it is going to be used. Similarly for organisations, weaknesses in internal controls may be exploited.
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What happens to victims of employment fraud?As with all frauds, the usual outcome is for the victim to lose or part with, money or personally identifiable data without getting any benefit. Victims may also experience a loss of trust and confidence in their job search.
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Aren't the fraudsters always a step ahead?Fraudsters are always looking for a new opportunity, however the majority of threats are repeats of what has been tried before. The widespread sharing of experiences as well as immediate reporting will limit the opportunity for repeat actions and quickly disrupt any new attempts.
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Are you sure rival companies can work constructively together?Yes - by removing the confrontational element and building on the mutual benefits obtained through cooperative action that JobsAware is promoting. It has already demonstrated that effective anti-fraud measures can be put in place quickly, without impacting commercial competitiveness; and protecting those looking for work.
Responsibilities as a recruiter
All workers, including temporary, permanent and Personal Service Companies (PSC’s) should be issued with a Key Information Document (KID) – this became a requirement by law on 6 April 2020.
The Key Information Document should clearly outline how you will engage with a worker, including who is employing the individual, who will pay them, and an example pay statement based on a standard working week, including any deductions.
For more information on the Key Information Document, please see this UK Government resource.
All workers, including temporary, permanent and Personal Service Companies (PSC’s) should also be issued with a contract or terms of engagement, which clearly outlines how the contractual relationship will work.
You are responsible for paying the worker for all hours worked. If there is a dispute over hours worked, or missing timesheets; it is your responsibility to look into the matter and resolve this.
You should also ensure you are fully aware what your legal responsibilities are as a recruiter/employer in terms of Pensions, Holiday Pay, Sick Pay and Agency Workers Regulations (AWR), where applicable, and other Statutory Deductions.
Timesheet Fraud
As a recruiter, have you been approached by an employer you may or may not know?
Have you then been asked to payroll one of their employees, as they can’t have them on the company books for some reason or other?
If yes, you should approach this with extreme caution, as this may be an attempt to defraud the recruiter.
Recruiters who supply temporary workers are required to pay an employee/worker whether or not they have received payment from their client.
In this instance, timesheets will be submitted by the employee/worker weekly, however it may be some weeks before the lack of payment from the client is picked up on. At this point both the client and worker have become uncontactable, leaving the agency out of pocket.
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Does the JobsAware initiative make a real difference?JobsAware are committed to making work-seeking safer for all. We do this by working with the industry (job boards, recruitment agencies etc.) to improve standards for work-seekers and non-permanent workers. Whilst the recruitment agencies and job board industries are typically in a competitive market, they agree that protecting the reputation of the sector and providing job-seekers with the confidence that tackling of fraud is a priority for a safer job search.
-
What makes individuals and organisations vulnerable to attack from employment fraud?For individuals, the risk often comes from giving too much personal information without clarifying why it is needed and how it is going to be used. Similarly for organisations, weaknesses in internal controls may be exploited.
-
What happens to victims of employment fraud?As with all frauds, the usual outcome is for the victim to lose or part with, money or personally identifiable data without getting any benefit. Victims may also experience a loss of trust and confidence in their job search.
-
Aren't the fraudsters always a step ahead?Fraudsters are always looking for a new opportunity, however the majority of threats are repeats of what has been tried before. The widespread sharing of experiences as well as immediate reporting will limit the opportunity for repeat actions and quickly disrupt any new attempts.
-
Are you sure rival companies can work constructively together?Yes - by removing the confrontational element and building on the mutual benefits obtained through cooperative action that JobsAware is promoting. It has already demonstrated that effective anti-fraud measures can be put in place quickly, without impacting commercial competitiveness; and protecting those looking for work.
Partnering with JobsAware
Information for recruitment agencies on how to and why partner with JobsAware.