The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to institute a new policy: periodic rescreening of current employees. It’s an HR policy more and more businesses are adopting nationwide, but too many are reluctant to consider. Most companies screen for red flags in their employees’ work, legal, or educational history once, before they’re officially hired. The problem is that those background checks only represent a moment in time. If an employee commits a crime, has a license revoked, or loses work authorization after being hired, their employer may never find out. That can lead to serious legal liabilities for your business in the case of an accident, harassment, or worse.
If that doesn’t give you pause, maybe these statistics will:
- Even though current employees pose significant ongoing organizational risk due to the access to company assets, customers and employees, 48 percent of employers do not rescreen their personnel post-hire.
- For those businesses that do rescreen, the majority do so when employees are promoted or change roles. Just 10 percent of respondents rescreen contingent and/or contract workers—down significantly from 31 percent in 2013.
The reason why some businesses are loathe to begin rescreening is simple: They see rescreening as an added cost with limited benefit. It’s a shortsighted view that has come back to bite many employers around the world. In the long run, rescreening employees eliminates potentially crippling liabilities and plays an important role in maintaining a safe and trusting workplace.
Here are three reasons why:
- To keep up with important changes in employees’ lives. Criminal offenses are the only changes that could affect your business. If an employee holds a professional license or certification, it is critical to verify it on an annual basis. Other times, employers may want to keep a track of motor vehicle reports/driving records, industry-specific sanction lists, and credit reports of an employee, depending on their job role—which can change with time.
- To correct mistakes made during initial background checks. Sometimes, certain job candidates are selected on the basis of some special criteria that didn’t mandate a background check. Others simply were not vetted properly in the pre-employment process. Whatever the reason they slipped through the cracks, it’s critical to ensure that the truth comes out in order to avoid potential liabilities.
- To scrutinize an employee with new responsibilities. It is important for recruiters to make it a standard practice to rescreen employees when they are promoted, transferred to another department, or undergo any change in their job responsibilities and duties. It is possible that their screening might have taken place a long time back, and with a new position, it is very likely that there would be additional screening requirements that need to be met.
If your company fails to rescreen employees, it could face dangers and liabilities that come as a complete surprise. Avoid this drama by instituting a sound and consistent rolling background check policy with the help of an experienced screening partner. Contact KRESS today for details on how to get started.