An indigenous firm, GAVAC Business Solutions, has developed an enterprise solution to ascertain the background of potential employees. 

This is a timely intervention, given the increasing number of employee-related fraud cases.

According to Managing Director of GAVAC, Harry Baiden, the enterprise employee verification solution, which will be outdoored on November 15 at Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel, is developed to allow organisations have a proper overview of the background of existing employees or the people they are seeking to engage.

Emp-Verify is designed specifically to eliminate the stress organisations go through in ensuring that the people they are employing do not have any dodgy work history that compromises their assets and put their businesses at risk.

Currently, organisations have to turn to a number of institutions in order to verify employees’ background. This process is usually cumbersome and time-consuming. What we have done as a business risk firm is to come up with an enterprise solution which makes it possible to virtually conduct a background check at the click of a button,” said Mr Baiden.

Rise of employee-fraud

Statistics from the central bank show that 69% of fraud cases reported in 2017 only involve employees. The Bank of Ghana report stated that employee-related fraud forms 82% of all fraud cases in the banking sector of the financial services industry.

According to Grace Akrofi, an advisor at BoG, among financial institutions there is a growing trend of staff involvement in fraudulent activities which cost employers fortunes.

“When most businesses grow and increase their staff intake, especially at entry level, the majority of them do not have the capacity to vet the character of their new employees,” she said. She recommended that other means of verification had to be explored.

Mr Baiden added that Emp-Verify is an innovative solution which has been developed solely to ensure that employers get in the right employees free of shady background that could potentially hurt their brand and ultimately the aspirations of their business.

The launch of Emp-Verify will be attended by a panel of distinguished resource persons from diverse fields speaking on the risks involved in hiring with limited employee background data, employment screening best practice and how best organizations can collaborate, share data and increase awareness in this significant HR exercise.

Commenting on GAVAC’s regulatory stance, Mr Baiden shared that the company is registered with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana and a member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).

“We specialize in providing solutions and services that will assist organizations to effectively make informed strategic decisions; thus, eventually protecting their assets. EmpVerify focuses on essential recruitment information, through partnering with HR departments, the Criminal Investigative Department (CID), investigative teams, DVLA, Registrar’s General Department, Ghana Revenue Authority etc.

GAVAC Business Solution provides other services aside EmpVerify (background check) solution; the company has business due diligence and related services. Our vision is to be the ‘go to’ background firm within the West Africa sub-region,” Mr Baiden said.