Truework Guardian: Secure verification automation for payroll systems
Today we're unveiling Truework Guardian. Guardian is an automated solution built for employees, employers and payroll providers that replaces the tedious manual HR verification process while increasing the protection of sensitive employee data through unique risk scoring - allowing payroll providers to scale verification to multiple partners without sacrificing data security and privacy
Guardian is the evolution of years of effort working with our HR and payroll partners in designing a product that increases employee data security and accessibility without delaying important financial transactions, like applying for a loan.
Similar to modern credit card systems where consumers are alerted about potential fraudulent transactions, Guardian notifies employees whenever a verification request is deemed suspicious, requiring additional authorization before sensitive data is shared.
Truework Guardian can be deployed for every employer on a payroll platform and is currently available for over 48 million employees spanning across some of the largest payroll systems in the country. This year we have onboarded 3 new partners representing over 8 million employees.
Guardian gives both employers and payroll providers the ability to set thresholds for which verifications are auto-approved and which require additional authorization using Guardian’s Transactional Risk Scoring system.
Scoring risk to reduce fraud
Verification fraud occurs when a third party submits an illegitimate request for an employee’s income or employment information. Scammers and other bad actors use this sensitive data to deploy a range of identity theft scams, including applying for loans or other financial products in the employee’s name.
Transactional Risk Scoring determines the fraud risk on any given verification using various metadata points associated with each request. Each verification is given a risk score based on the reputation of the individual verifier, the classification of the verifying institution, as well as IP address and other signs of potential authorization fraud. Payroll providers and employers can use the risk score to improve data security by determining which verifications require further employee approval before data is shared with any 3rd party.
Guardian is the latest evolution in our efforts to automate verifications for payroll systems while improving security and automation for employees and employers.
In 2021, we created the Payroll Network alongside Rippling and Gusto to give employees more control over their professional data. The Payroll Network laid the groundwork for Truework Guardian by providing the first automated verification solution to give employees more control over their professional data.
Working with our Payroll Network partners allowed us to evolve our understanding of transactional verification risk, a key insight that guided the development of Guardian. Together we have completed millions of verifications for thousands of different verifiers. Understanding trends and identifying patterns in verifier behavior has allowed us to create Transactional Risk Scoring and apply it to every verification processed through Truework Guardian.
Improving the status quo
Before Guardian, HR verification automation was a black box for employees, employers, and payroll providers alike. Many employers force employees into data-sharing partnerships with providers who fail to give transparency into or control of the verification process. These decisions hand over troves of employee data without confirming employee authorization on verification requests that have a high likelihood of fraud.
Truework Guardian is the first automated solution that provides full visibility and control of employee data based on transactional risk. With Guardian, payroll providers can now extend secure verification automation for every employer on their platform, breaking the reliance on legacy verification providers while reducing fraud risk.
Employers and employees still benefit from fast verifications, but the process now includes much-needed safeguards. Transactional Risk Scoring allows payroll providers to set verification approval thresholds using a unique risk assessment methodology.
For example, if a verification request receives a low risk score, it is best for that request to be auto-approved. Because the employee has already provided proper authorization, asking them for additional approval may cause significant delays that could hinder the outcome of a high-stakes transaction, such as buying a home.
On the other hand, if a verification request receives an elevated risk score, the employee benefits by providing additional approval while the employer gains peace of mind knowing they did not make a risky decision with employee data.
Before Guardian, verification providers would automatically approve requests without a full assessment of risk, significantly increasing the chances of fraud or identity theft for all employees.
Sweet, suite automation
Transactional Risk Scoring is a part of a larger suite of automation tools provided by Truework Guardian. In addition to risk-based automation, Guardian also includes one of Truework’s most popular HR features: automated employment letters.
We launched automated employment letters in 2018 to reduce the manual HR process of creating individual letters of employment. Letters often function as a “soft” verification used by employees applying for a travel visa, apartment or other lower touch transactions.
Guardian’s employment letters are generated using verified data directly from an employer’s payroll system, reducing manual errors and accelerating the process for every employee.
A look ahead
Improving data security while maximizing the employee and employer experience will continue to be a focus as Truework Guardian evolves. The development of Transactional Risk Scoring is an important milestone that provides much needed visibility into the black box of automated verifications. Payroll providers can now help reduce verification fraud without unnecessary delays and save employer’s time with Guardian.
We continue to work with our Payroll Network partners to identify ways to increase automation and security for every employer on their platform. And we look forward to helping more employees protect their data while enabling faster approvals for important transactions.
Ready to learn more?
Talk to our team to learn more about Truework Guardian and how you can improve data security and productivity for every employer on your platform.
