October 19, 2011
The majority of companies in the US have embraced pre-employment screening in their hiring process. It is estimated in 2010 that 9 out of 10 companies performed some sort of background check during the hiring process. Just as important and far less prevalent is the need for post-employment screening.
Conducting post-employment screening regularly throughout an employee’s career can reduce risk and protect the company’s success and safety.
An employee may begin their career with a clean criminal history, drug-free lifestyle, and good personal financial practices, but there is no guarantee that their background will remain spotless. Crimes such as fraud are often committed by long-term, trusted employees.
Offenses that may be uncovered during a post employment screen that would be relevant to the employer would be:
Drug use: A large number of employed Americans abuse drugs, and this number is increasing every year. Drug abusers can create risks in the workplace such as decreased productivity, greater likelihood of stealing, and altercations with co-workers.
Serious criminal offenses. These would be crimes that may show an increased risk to the company. Becoming aware of criminal convictions allows the employer to take measures to reduce the possibility of negative issues that range from fraud, to theft, to workplace violence.
Credit problems. Periodically checking an employee’s credit report is one way to measure the person’s trustworthiness and decrease the risk of becoming a victim of fraud. NOTE: only utilize credit reports in this manner for positions in which knowledge of an employee’s credit habits are relevant and fair.
A reputable employment screening company can act as a valuable third party in these screening procedures. As your partner, an employment screening company can provide specific periodic checks on the employee’s criminal and credit history. There are even specially designed post-employment screening products that will monitor current employees’ background information. (This is especially important in the healthcare industry, where new regulations are imposing stiff sanctions for non-compliance).
Businesses need to realize that the screening of a new employee is not complete on their first day of work. While a good pre-employment screening process helps to decrease the possibility of hiring unqualified, dishonest, or dangerous applicants, implementing a screening process for current employees can further guard against risk to the company and the workplace.
~Susan McCullah is the Product Development Director for Data Facts, a 22 year old Memphis-based company that provides pre-employment screening solutions to companies nationwide.
