Engage Technology Partners and Jumio join forces to automate right to work verification

Integrating online identity verification into Engage’s SaaS recruitment platform streamlines time-consuming and manual verification process with state-of-the-art verification technologies.

As recruiters will be aware, right to work checks are a compulsory step in the UK recruitment process. Applicants must supply original identity documents, which must be verified as valid, copies retained and a record made of the date the check was made. This manual process can be time-consuming for hiring companies and exposes them to potential data breaches and GDPR scrutiny.

The maximum fine for hiring illegal workers is £20,000 per illegal worker and employers knowingly hiring someone who does not have the right to work in the UK could face up to five years in jail (whereas the illegal worker would face six months).

Employing the same technology used by EasyJet, Monzo and WeWork the integration enables Engage to automatically verify passports, ID cards, biometric residence permits and other forms of identification from over 200 countries to verify workers’ eligibility and actual identity. Workers receive an email or text message invitation to provide their ID and right to work documentation via unique URLs, linking them to the Engage platform, where they can upload or use a camera to take pictures of their documents and of themselves. The automated verification process is then run by Jumio’s Netverify solution, while workers are kept in the loop via notifications. As a PCI-DSS compliant solution, Jumio is also helping Engage meet the stringent data protection and privacy requirements of GDPR.

“Our mission is to connect end-hirers, agencies, payrolls and workers on a self-service platform that seamlessly navigates the entire recruitment process with incredible efficiency, from vacancy to billing,” said Alex Fraser, Marketing Director at Engage. “Working in partnership with Jumio, we're able to provide instant verification to prove that employees are who they say they are and can now offer the necessary compliance with right to work regulation to our clients, especially in the contingency staffing market."

Ensuring that every employee has the right to work in the UK is one of the core duties of an employer. It’s not an extra, or a nice to have: it’s essential for all businesses, regardless of size or industry sector. Integrating a secure and reliable identity verification solution helps Engage deliver a more complete solution to its business customers, comply with the Home Office guidelines, avoid compliance penalties and reduce the likelihood of regular spot checks by the HM Revenue & Customs.