MauritiusMauritius ranks 13th on the Ease of Doing Business Index 2019. This opens greater opportunities for employers to expand their business in Mauritius while following local regulations and responsible hiring practices.
Responsible hiring processes include a background check as well. Around 46% of resumes have discrepancies between the information provided by the candidate and the result of the background check. This further supports the requirement of employment screening.
This employment background check in Mauritius guide traverses through the regulations, benefits, processes, and more involved in background checks involved in the hiring process in Mauritius.
What Is Employment Background Screening?
Employment background screening is a process of thoroughly checking the records a candidate has submitted during the selection process. These records can be personal records and professional records. These background checks verify candidates’ professional credibility by following up on information like past work experiences. It helps employers to know whether the potential employee is trustworthy or has a behavioral history that may affect business in the future.
These screening processes are also helpful in finding out whether they have any prior criminal records or similar experiences. It also improves the quality of the recruitment process by avoiding hiring any risky candidates for the company. An employer can opt for pre-employment background checks before hiring someone or screen candidates during the onboarding process. It creates a secure work environment for the company’s future and present employees.
Conducting thorough background checks can be time and resource-consuming. It also becomes difficult to dive deep into each employee’s personal and work history to conduct a background check. You can outsource the task of conducting an employment background check in Mauritius to specialized agencies and firms. If you want to hire talented employees from Mauritius, you can go through a third party to comply with the local laws and regulations.
Benefits of Background Checks in Mauritius
Hiring an employee for the organization is a long-term investment. It is now a part of the recruitment process wherein employers can conduct a pre-employment screening to rule out risky candidates.
Conducting employee background screening in Mauritius has several advantages.
Finding the best candidate for the job
When hiring someone, you want to hire the best of the best. These days, candidates may resort to adding untrue information to make their resumes shine. With background checks, you can verify whether the candidates have the work experience and education mentioned.
Minimizing recruitment cost
The entire recruitment process is costly, and it is wasteful to go through it again and again. With background checks, you can verify the accuracy of declared information and aid in making an informed decision in the long term.
Protection from legal liability
An employment screening also includes the employees’ criminal records. It helps the employer protect themselves from any legal hassles in the future because of the employee.
Pre-employment background checks play a huge part in the hiring process. It helps recruits and employers protect their businesses from unsuitable candidates and minimize people and financial risks.
Are Background Checks Legal in Mauritius?
You can legally conduct background checks in Mauritius. However, the entire process of employee background screening in Mauritius must comply with the Data Protection Act 2017.
The government does not exercise specific prohibitions, but the employer must have the candidate’s consent before performing background checks.
The Data Protection Act 2017 ensures a balance between the fundamental rights of the individual, business concerns, and the government’s concerns. The primary aim of DPA is that people should know how to control the usage of their private data and know if someone will use their data.
The Data Protection Act, 2017 of Mauritius aligns with international regulations like the General Data Protection Regulations of the European Union and Council of Europe Convention 108 on data protection.
So, to summarize, employee background screening in Mauritius is legal as long as it does not violate the DPA 2017. Employers can conduct a background check in Mauritius at any point in the hiring process or even after hiring, provided they have informed the candidate and have their consent.
Things to Know When Performing a Background Check in Mauritius
Organizing a background check while hiring in Mauritius is a meticulous process. HR staff and employers need to review the candidate’s records and eliminate people with false data, documents, and criminal records.
While performing a background check, employers and recruits need to keep the following things in mind:
Employment history
Recruiters can conduct a pre-employment background check in Mauritius; they require the candidate’s previous work history. It helps them understand what kind of an employee the candidate can be and whether they will be a good fit for the company.
Education history
One of the most common discrepancies in a candidate’s resume is their educational achievements. Recruiters can run a detailed check on their qualifications before hiring. Employers can also verify the degrees, certificates, and documents provided by the candidate to authenticate their educational qualifications.
Criminal record
Employers can ask for police clearance certificates from prospective employees that candidates can get by applying at the nearest Police Divisional Headquarters. The character certificate shows that the candidate has no previous criminal charges.
Credit report
Credit reports of the employees can be obtained during the hiring process to get a judgment of the candidate’s financial situation. A credit report generally includes the candidate’s loan, mortgage details, and debt situation. It also reveals candidates’ credit infringements.
Social life
An HR background check in Mauritius consists of going through their social media platforms. These checks are necessary to understand the candidate and their conduct in personal life. It helps understand whether they are aligned with your company’s beliefs. However, while conducting a social media check, employers need to make sure that they do not violate the candidate’s privacy and Data Protection Act 2017.
Information Essential for a Background Check in Mauritius
As mentioned earlier, there are no prohibitions for conducting a background check in Mauritius. The only requirement is that the employer adheres to Mauritius’s Data Protection Act 2017.
Employers can ask for the following information and documents to verify and authenticate the candidate’s details:
- Applicant’s full name as given in official documents
- Date of birth
- Last known address
- Educational qualification certificates, degrees, and mark sheets
- The employment history of the candidate
- Visa details (non-native employee/candidate)
- Photograph of the candidate
Process Involved in Background Checks in Mauritius
The Republic of Mauritius does not have a fixed procedure or norm for everyone to follow while hiring here. The hiring rules and regulations vary depending upon the industry. Therefore, employers can stick to their process, provided it does not violate the DPA 2017.
The respective firm can do an employment background check in Mauritius on their own, or they can outsource to international companies that specialize in this domain.
However, here is a draft outline that entails the background check in Mauritius.
- Ensuring that the candidate has given their consent to undergo a background check.
- Next, the recruiters or the firm you have selected to conduct the employee screening in Mauritius can go through the resume or CV submitted by the candidate.
- They can contact the references they have mentioned in the resume. Moreover, the academic qualifications can also be verified.
- Companies can browse through the information publicly available about the candidate on their social media accounts like LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
- Then comes checking the criminal records or convictions against the candidate in Mauritius.
- The Certificate of Character issued by the Police Department ensures that the candidate’s records are clean.
- Further, employers can request a credit check if it is required for a job position.
Industries and Situations That Are Most Suitable for Background Checks in Mauritius
A background check is for any company or industry to ensure fewer financial and legal risks in the hiring process. Background checks are not only to verify the prior criminal records against a candidate, though it is a significant part of it. They are also in place to check their previous working history, social presence, etc.
There are some industries in Mauritius where a background check, especially a criminal background check, becomes essential.
- Education industry
- Healthcare industry
- Childcare industry
- Government Services
- The transportation sector includes a cab service or a driving school
- Industries require confidentiality from the candidate, like lawyers and accountants.
Potential employees, both residents and ex-pats, have to undergo an employment background check. Employers can also conduct background checks on independent contractors and freelancers from Mauritius for a prosperous relationship.
How Does Multiplier Help With Background Checks?
An employment background check is a risk-reducing process for any company managing international teams. It also helps to build high-quality reliable workforce that you need to make a successful business.
You can outsource the background checking process to a third party service provider who understands laws and regulations regarding background screening in the country. Multiplier can help you facilitate this process.
Multiplier is a one-stop platform for drafting compliant contracts, managing payments, taxes, insurance, ensuring you comply with the local rules, and much more in over 150+ countries across APAC, including Mauritius, Europe, and the Americas. Onboarding employees on Multiplier takes only a few clicks. Practically, you can employ new foreign talent in your company in less than 24 hours.
