When employers and hiring managers are selecting their candidates, pre-employment screening is a hugely important part of the process. It’s commonly used at the onboarding stage to ensure a new employee has the skills and experience necessary for the role, as well as establishing transparency and trust in your staff base.
But if a member of staff stays at a business for several years, how can employers make sure they stay compliant and ensure that individual’s ongoing suitability for the role?
Certain checks, such as employment and education, are unlikely to change for individuals who have been working within the same business for a long time. However, there can potentially be significant changes in the information verified by criminal record checks, credit checks, sanctions checks, directorship checks, social media checks and more. While these checks provide peace of mind and security throughout the hiring process, they only give employers an insight into a snapshot in time prior to the hire – not ongoing awareness.
Why should you rescreen your staff?
In 2023, Cifas, the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, urged employers to prioritise internal security as cases of employee theft rose by nearly three-quarters.
Cases of individuals stealing from their employer and customer accounts have increased by 74% when compared to 2022.
Fraudscape 2023, Cifas
Performing checks at the time of hire may not be enough to prevent instances of harm caused by employees in the future. An individual’s circumstances can change over time, which may present new risks, and a business may consider it necessary to review the suitability of their staff periodically by rescreening employees.
What do you need to consider when rescreening employees?
- What is the nature or seniority of the role?
- Has the employee been promoted or elevated into a more senior and responsible role since the original hire?
- What risks could an individual in such a position pose to the organisation?
- Are there any legal or regulatory drivers for repeating background checks, or restricting the ability to perform certain checks?
- What checks are appropriate and suitable to objectively assess an individual’s ability to perform a specific role?
- What frequency should rescreening be conducted at?
- Are you compliant with current legislation, such as data protection law?
Do you need to rescreen employees?
In some regulated industries in the United Kingdom, there are legal requirements to ensure that certain employees are considered fit and proper to perform their roles on an ongoing basis. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) advises that background checks and rescreening must be carried out where necessary, stating that:
“Where appropriate with regard to the size and nature of its business, a relevant person must: carry out screening of relevant employees appointed by the relevant person, both before the appointment is made and during the course of the appointment”.
To fulfil this, businesses need to assess the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the individual, as well as their conduct and integrity.
Between 2019 and 2020, the SRA visited 74 firms to assess whether they had effective anti-money laundering policies, controls, and procedures in place. They found that:
- 94% carried out some form of pre-employment check
- Just 78% performed ongoing background checks
- 16% of firms relied on annual self-declarations
In order to comply with best practice, firms should:
- Use a variety of checks, ensuring they gather a large quantity of information about the background of their employees
- See screening as an ongoing process, as opposed to a one-time check at the time of hiring
- Adopt a holistic approach: use existing HR processes such as annual appraisals
Even where there are no specific industry regulatory requirements, businesses may consider that rescreening is required due to the nature or sensitivity of their work, the responsibilities held by an individual, or for the assessment of an individual under consideration for a new role with different responsibilities.
Accurate provides their clients with a dedicated Account Manager to guide them through the rescreening process, complying with legal requirements and compliance throughout. Outsourcing your background screening strategy means you get legal counsel and HR expertise to develop your policy.
If you want to discuss how rescreening can protect your business and your employees on an ongoing basis, chat with us at UKEnquiries@accurate.com, or, if you are an existing client who wishes to rescreen your staff, contact your Account Manager directly.
