The bait and switch: When online interviews go bad
What would you do if the person you hired through a series of online interviews and virtual tests is not the same person who shows up at work?
It sounds like something from a science fiction movie. You spend hours testing, interviewing and talking to a candidate and then, after you offer them the job, someone completely different shows up for work. And that person doesnโt have the skills or the ability to do the job, at all. What do you do? Do you keep them in the business wondering if perhaps youโve gone mad, or do you confront them and ask them to leave? Often, companies donโt do anything about it. This, says Nicol Myburgh, Head: CRS Technologies HCM Business Unit, is because theyโre too embarrassed.
โThis kind of situation has evolved over the past three years as more and more companies hire people in other countries or have been forced to undertake virtual interviews,โ he explains. โCompanies embark on an intense series of interviews that involve aptitude tests and virtual assessments and then they say, yes, letโs hire this person, theyโre perfect. Then โ and this happens more than youโd expect โ the person they interviewed is not the person who shows up. Now, whoโs going to be the one to tell this employee that theyโre not who they say they are? Human resources?โ
The problem is that theyโve been onboarded. Contracts have been signed, legalities have been met and all the relevant boxes have been ticked, which means that the company now has to go through the complex process of disciplinary hearings and proving that the person in front of them is not the person they interviewed. Considering how rigorous labour laws are, this is not an easy situation.
โYou have to go through a disciplinary process before you can dismiss the person, and you have to call witnesses who were present during the actual interviews,โ explains Myburgh. โYou may be able to dismiss them eventually, but the whole process is time-consuming and embarrassing for everyone. The solution is to put processes in place that will protect the company from the bait and switch manoeuvre and all the admin that comes with it.โ
The first step is to try to avoid virtual interviews at the outset. These are easy to manipulate so if you can minimise your reliance on remote interviewing, do this. However, this is not always feasible, so consider investing in technologies that are designed to catch fraudulent interactions and engagements.
โThereโs software that has polygraph-level capabilities to detect deception based on voice; this can be really helpful in catching someone who may be lying about their name or credentials,โ says Myburgh. โYou should also ask for a photograph of the employee upfront and then match this to identification and previous employment records. Contact the references they provided and ask them to verify the personโs identity as well as their credentials โ this is a superb way of mitigating the risks completely.โ
These steps will potentially help you to whittle out the problems before they become full-time employees that cost you money in terms of ending the contracts, going to the CCMA and jumping through a series of convoluted regulatory hoops, before finding someone new. The bait and switch manoeuvre is not a myth, so donโt get caught.
CRS Technologies is here to assist. We have the expertise and a fully equipped HR services team ready to offer guidance on online interview fraud or any other human resources issue you may have. Weโre only an email away!
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