How CDS brought DBS checks, right to work and HR compliance into one place
30+
background checks
processed instantly
through the platform.
Minutes
for check results to come back, vs. days with previous providers.
2 hours
saved per week by replacing manual compliance spreadsheets.
Company
CDS Print Services
Industry
Marketing /Advertising
Employees
50
Location
UK
Favourite Features
About the business
CDS Print Services are one of the UK’s leading providers of high quality, end-to-end print solutions. Providing print solutions into public and private businesses they manage everything from secure print to large format combining expert guidance, innovation and sustainability. Lauren, Business Support Manager, manages Employment Hero for CDS Print Services, covering HR administration for over 50 employees.
Lauren came to HR with no prior experience. Her introduction to the function was implementing Employment Hero from scratch and she’s been building out their people processes ever since, while completing her HR apprenticeship alongside the day job.
The challenge
When Lauren inherited HR records from the previous team that had managed the group’s companies, she needed to get compliance in order, fast. DBS checks were due for renewal across a significant portion of the workforce. Previously, when onboarding new employees, right to work and DBS checks were carried out through a separate provider. This meant yet another platform to manage.
Before Employment Hero, compliance tracking meant multiple spreadsheets. Each sheet was updated manually to keep track of which employees held which certificates, when they were due to expire and when renewals needed chasing.
With checks running through a separate system to everything else, there was no single source of truth. Finding out whether a staff member had the right clearance for a role meant digging through documents rather than checking a profile.
“Previously, we had to have multiple spreadsheets on the go to keep tally of things. I wanted to make sure I had all the correct checks stored in place. That way, if anyone ever questions anything, I know that I’ve got the answers.”
The solution
Employment Hero’s Background Checks feature, powered by Zinc, brought DBS and right to work verification, along with seven other check types, directly into the platform Lauren was already using for HR, recruitment and performance management. No separate login. No switching between systems mid-process. Everything in one place.
The process is straightforward: Lauren initiates a check from the employee’s profile, the employee receives a link and follows guided steps to upload their ID documents and personal details. The completed report lands back in Employment Hero when done. Results that previously took days with other providers are now returning in minutes.
“I like that it’s all in one place. I like the reminders that come through. And I like that I don’t need to manage multiple logins.”
For compliance tracking, the difference is just as significant. Employment Hero’s automated reminders flag upcoming renewals before they become a problem, replacing the manual spreadsheet upkeep Lauren had been carrying alone.
“I’m slowly reducing down my Excel spreadsheets because I’m relying more on Employment Hero. And it’s brilliant.”
The ROI
- 30 background checks processed in moments, without leaving the Employment Hero platform.
- Results in minutes, not days, compared to previous providers.
- 2 hours saved per week by replacing manual compliance spreadsheets with automated reminders and centralised certificate records.
- Full audit trail in one place: timestamped check results stored against each employee’s profile, accessible at any time. No hunting through documents.
- HR Managers can see at a glance which employees hold the right clearances for specific roles, without separate filing systems.
“You haven’t got to search through documents. There is a dedicated section where if anyone wants to know anything, it’s right there.”e this one, we just need boots on the ground — someone keen to learn and jump in.”
Why it matters
As one person managing the HR admin for two companies, every manual process that gets automated is time and headspace returned. Lauren’s situation is more common than most HR platforms acknowledge: a non-specialist stepping into an HR role, inheriting legacy records and building compliance processes from scratch.
Employment Hero’s background checks integration creates a crucial compliance record that any business needs to be able to demonstrate at short notice. Check history, renewal dates, certificate status: all of it is timestamped, centralised and searchable.
And the broader platform picture is telling too. Lauren recommends Employment Hero to peers in her apprenticeship cohort, having heard them describe platforms that can’t match it for breadth of functionality. For someone who started with no HR experience and built an entire people function on Employment Hero, the platform has become something more than software.
“I’m a big fan of Employment Hero. On my apprenticeship call, the others were all saying ‘our platform doesn’t do that’. Well, Employment Hero does it all.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Employment Hero’s Background Checks feature, powered by Zinc, lets you initiate, track and store DBS checks and right to work verification, alongside seven other check types, directly from an employee’s profile. No separate platform or login required. CDS used it to process around 30 checks across both new starters and renewals in a single workflow.
In most cases, results are returned in minutes. CDS found checks completing significantly faster than previous providers, where a turnaround of a couple of days was standard. The completed report is stored automatically against the employee’s profile in Employment Hero.
Yes. Employment Hero tracks certificate expiry dates and sends automated reminders before renewals are due. For Lauren at CDS, this replaced a system of multiple manual spreadsheets used to track DBS renewals across the workforce — saving approximately two hours of admin per week.
Yes. Every completed check is timestamped and stored centrally against the relevant employee’s profile in Employment Hero. There’s no need to manage separate document folders or cross-reference external systems. If a check was done, it’s there, with a full audit trail.
If you’re already on Employment Hero for HR, the case for consolidating is straightforward: one platform, one login and your compliance records in the same place as everything else. CDS moved from a standalone provider to Employment Hero’s integrated Background Checks after finding the all-in-one setup easier to manage, particularly for a small HR team tracking renewals across multiple employees.
Employment Hero currently offers nine check types, all powered by Zinc and available directly from any candidate or employee file. No separate contract or external portal required:
| Check type | What it covers |
| Right to Work | Confirms UK work eligibility using government-authorised digital identity checking |
| Identity | Government-issued ID verification |
| DBS Basic | Criminal record disclosure — unspent convictions and conditional cautions |
| Education | Qualification and credential verification |
| Address History | Residency and address verification |
| Sanctions | Global sanctions list screening |
| Social Media | Online profile review |
| Financial | Financial background and history |
| Credit | Credit history and creditworthiness |
You can run one check type or several depending on the role and you only pay for what you run. There’s no minimum commitment and no ongoing subscription fee for the checks themselves. Note: DBS Basic is currently the only level of DBS check available through the integration. Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are in the pipeline.
Yes. Employment Hero’s Background Checks feature supports right to work verification using government-authorised digital identity checking, alongside standard DBS checks. Zinc, the provider powering the feature, is an authorised identity service provider. For businesses working on government contracts, where clearance levels and compliance documentation need to be watertight, having all records centralised and audit-ready in one platform is particularly valuable.
