Background Check in Austria

What are the Benefits of Background Checks in Austria?

As discussed above, an employee screening in Austria can help you chuck out unsuitable candidates. But, apart from these, this process has several other benefits. They include,

1) Avoiding negative publicity and additional costs to the company

Untruthful or dishonest employees can cost your organization much more than you imagine. They can damage your company’s reputation and incur negative publicity. 

Not to mention the expenses you might have to bear to manage the press due to the actions of a rogue employee.

An employee background check in Austria can help you avoid all these scenarios. Any illegal or criminal act that the applicants may have hidden otherwise will be uncovered during this process. In this way, you can make a better hiring decision.

2) Guaranteeing a safe workplace and staff security

As an employer, you have a duty of care toward your employees. This duty extends beyond following protocols to ensure a safe work environment to the selection and behavior of other staff members.

A job applicant with a shady background can disrupt this safety at the workplace and even result in expensive legal challenges. 

Imagine a job applicant who already has a proven track record of violence. Or someone who indulges in substance abuse and uses your company’s car under the influence. 

Running a thorough background check can greatly reduce the chances of such negligent hiring. 

3) Less employee turnover

Hiring employees who are truthful and competent for the job can help you build a strong workforce at your organization. 

Additionally, these employees are less likely to leave the organization or encourage others to leave. The result? Less employee turnover and greater productivity at your company.

What are the Types of Background Checks in Austria?

A background check is necessary when hiring local or international employees. Here, we have highlighted some of Austria's most common types of background checks. 

1) Criminal record check

• A criminal record certificate refers to a document that contains a person’s registered convictions in the Crime Register and/or information that there are no such convictions.
• Under the laws of Austria, only the person who has applied will be issued this document. 
• In most cases, Austrian employees must provide a criminal record certificate no more than three months old. 
• Additionally, employees can apply for a special criminal record certificate if their job is related to children and youth welfare or involves care and support responsibilities.
• Applicants can apply for a criminal record certificate at any competent authority near the area of their residence. 
• Although most of the formalities are done online, all applicants must appear in person at the relevant authorities at least once to verify their identity.
• Generally, if all the requirements are met, relevant authorities across Austria will issue the certificate within a few minutes.
• But, in some cases, if the municipality where the application is submitted does not have access to the Register of Criminal Offenses, it can take ten days for the document to get issued.

2) Employment history check

• An employment history check in Austria is done to verify the previous work experience of a job applicant. 
• These include information about their previous job title, years of service, reasons for leaving, etc. 
• Employers can contact the job applicant's previous employers directly and ask for details about their qualifications/skills, job performance, and reasons for separation.
• In some cases, employers can also ask for professional references (mentors/co-workers/professors) from the candidate who can provide insights about their skills and workplace successes.

3) Medical screening

• Medical screening of employees is done to check if they can perform their job functions. 
• A medical test can include a routine physical examination, heart health test, drug/alcohol test, or psychological test.
• Austrian labor laws dictate that employees can only request a medical test if physical fitness is important for the job position. For example, workers operating heavy machinery.
• In such scenarios, employers can refuse to hire individuals if they fail to submit their medical reports. 
• However, employers cannot require medical screening of employees in Austria for all other ‘regular’ jobs.

4) Credit history check

• A credit history check reveals all information about a job applicant’s credit history. 
• It includes details like their debts, mortgages, loans, payment history of debts, and so on. 
• More often than not, employers conduct a credit report check for security purposes. 
• This is especially important for financial roles in a company that requires handling money, such as accountants or retail.

5) Education history

• Prospective employees often undergo an education history check to verify whether they attended the schools they claim to have attended in their resumes, certifications, proof of degrees, and other documents.
• Usually, employers check the job applicant’s name and registration number against the official institute records. This will help confirm that the person has indeed attended the claimed university.
• In other cases, employers can also conduct an education history through third-party services.
• This type of employee screening in Austria aims to ensure the candidate possesses the necessary skills and knowledge to perform the job.

6) Social media check

• A social media check entails reviewing a job applicant’s social media and web presence.
• The aim is to check whether the said candidate is the perfect fit for the organization.
• Employers usually scan an employee’s public profiles on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter to determine whether the employee is a good fit.
• They may even conduct in-depth scans of their blogs, comment sections, and other digital activity traces.

Requirements for Background Check in Austria

The following documents are usually required to run a background check in Austria.

• Picture IDs: valid driver’s license, state ID card, or passport.
• Education verification documents: earned certificates of a program, unofficial transcripts, and a copy of the high school diploma or degree.
• Contact information of previous employers, wage/income transcripts, and paycheck stub.
• Credit score and outstanding debts

Steps for Background Check in Austria

Follow the steps below to run a successful background check in Austria.

• Disclosure: Before beginning with any type of employee screening in Austria, you must inform the individual and get their written consent. This will help you avoid any legal repercussions.
• Investigation: Once the candidate has consented to be part of the screening process, you can begin with the background check. Procure all the required personal information and compile a report using relevant sources.
• ‍Review: After the check has been done, review the report that you have made. Check for red flags (if any). If everything is good to go, you can start with the onboarding process.

Are Employee Background Checks Legal in Austria?

Yes, employee screening is permitted in Austria for job-related purposes. However, it is important to ensure compliance with data protection laws, such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Generally, you can only request information relevant to the job role in question.

You can also use a third-party service to run a background check in Austria. The only thing to remember is to draft a data processing agreement that is in accordance with the GDPR.

Planning to Hire in Austria? Here’s How Skuad Can Help

Skuad’s EOR solution has made it easier for numerous businesses to run a thorough background check on their potential employees as a part of their EOR services. 

All you need to do is connect with our experts and request the type of check that you wish to conduct. We will handle everything from there.

We will gather all the information on your behalf while also staying compliant with the data protection laws. Once the process is complete, you will receive the results in real-time and make better hiring decisions.

Additionally, we provide 24*5 customer support. This means that no matter the timezone, you can always reach out to our team members with any queries or concerns. 

‍Book a demo today and simplify the process of employee screening with Skuad by your side.

FAQs

How do I get a criminal background check in Austria?

You can ask your employee to apply for a criminal record certificate in Austria. It can be done online, and it usually takes a few minutes to ten days to issue the document. 

What is usually checked in a background check?

A background check usually verifies information related to a person’s education credentials, credit history, social media presence, and work experience. 

Can a background check be done in a different country?

Yes, you can run an international background check. The only thing to remember is to comply with the country-specific laws and regulations since they can differ a lot. 

What do international background checks show?

An international background check is similar to any other employee screening process. It will highlight all essential information about the job applicant’s employment history, education qualifications, criminal records, and so on.