Domestic & General Reduces Screening Lead Times and Attrition with First Advantage’s UK Automated Employment Verifications

Challenge

D&G’s UK Talent Acquisition team hires hundreds of customer contact and claims
employees each year, with peak periods often requiring more than 150 new starters per
month.

Prior to working with First Advantage, the team faced several challenges:

• Lengthy background check turnaround times that often stretched to two weeks per
  hire
• Manual reference check processes, taking valuable time away from other important
  tasks
• Employment verification delays sometimes resulting in early-tenure exits
• A clunky candidate experience, leading to incomplete screenings and candidate
  drop‑off

“In a regulated environment like ours, we pay close attention to the role screening plays in the hiring process,” said Hannah Fry, Director of Talent Acquisition at Domestic & General. “We recognised that parts of the process had the potential to slow things down and create
uncertainty. Addressing that early was an important focus for us.”

Solution

D&G partnered with First Advantage to address the operational and strategic challenges of
employment screening in a fast-paced hiring environment. Rather than adopting an off-the shelf approach, D&G played an active role in partnership with First Advantage in redefining
their screening programme – driving innovation through close collaboration, process
redesign and technology-led thinking.

A key differentiator was First Advantage’s UK Automated Employment Verifications, which enable employment verifications at the source. The solution helped D&G reduce its
reliance on documentation provided by the candidates themselves and accelerate the
overall screening process.

Through redesigned workflows and the introduction of automation, D&G was able to:

• Identify candidates’ undeclared employment periods earlier in the screening process
• Reduce the number of outbound emails and information requests sent to candidates
• Improve confidence in screening outcomes through verified‑at‑source data
• Integrate pre-hire screening seamlessly with their new ATS

“Moving away from manual referencing has been a game changer,” said Adam Squires,
Talent Acquisition Manager, Domestic & General. “With automated employment
verifications, we can identify discrepancies early and deal with them before someone
starts, rather than chasing information after their hire date.”

Beyond the technology itself, D&G also valued the strategic partnership with First
Advantage, including regular in‑person and virtual Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs).

“For me, that’s what a true partnership looks like,” Hannah said. “I get relevant legislative updates, market trends, and insight into future developments. That’s information we simply
didn’t have before.”

Results

Since implementing UK Automated Employment Verifications through First Advantage, Domestic & General has seen several improvements across its hiring and screening process:

• Screening lead times were reduced from an average of two weeks to approximately
  five days.
• The proportion of employment verifications completed at the source increased by approximately 25%, using trusted data from employers, HMRC, payroll, and HR
  systems.
• Screening‑related attrition has declined, contributing to greater stability in the
  initial employment period.

“I no longer worry about screening issues surfacing unexpectedly,” Hannah said. “Working with First Advantage, we can now look further out to the horizon and focus on future considerations like AI and how the risk environment is evolving.”

Why Automated Employment Verifications Made the Difference

First Advantage’s UK Automated Employment Verification solution makes it possible to verify up to five years of UK employment history directly from trusted data sources. Rather than relying on manual employer outreach or candidate‑provided documentation, employment history is returned near‑instantly and integrated directly into the screening
workflow.

For employers, this means:

• Faster, more consistent verifications
• Less reliance on documents that may be incomplete or delayed
• Earlier identification of discrepancies and undeclared employment
• Less administrative burden on the talent acquisition team

For candidates, the process removes much of the friction traditionally associated with
referencing, including eliminating repeated information requests and reducing delays during onboarding.

The improved screening experience has also been reinforced through feedback across the business. “One of our senior executives recently went through a re‑check as part of our internal processes,” said Hannah. “She commented on how much smoother the experience felt compared to her original onboarding, and that it represented a real step forward.”

Looking Ahead

With streamlined screening processes in place, Domestic & General may be well-
positioned to support future hiring demands while mitigating risks with their applicable regulatory framework. Ongoing collaboration with First Advantage keeps D&G informed and prepared as the external environment continues to evolve. The partnership allows the organisation to refine its screening strategy over time while continuing to hire efficiently.

Why First Advantage?

First Advantage helps education institutions simplify domestic and international background screening with centralized workflows, country-specific expertise, and digital identity solutions that improve efficiency while supporting compliance and workforce trust.

With coverage in more than 200 countries and territories and 100+ ATS and HCM integrations, we support faster, candidate-friendly hiring across the entire workforce lifecycle.

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