When employers screen an applicant and find their background is clean, it doesn’t mean that it remains that way forever.
There can be several problems that can make the employees do certain things that the employer deems harmful. In addition to that, employers also need to keep updating their screening process to ensure that they are moving along with social changes.
In fact, if possible, employers need to conduct rescreening of the old employees on a regular interval to ensure they are having the right employees for the organizations.
Can Employers Re-Screen Old Employees?
Well, the answer depends on which industry you are talking about. For instance, healthcare, Finance, Credit Reporting, or other industrial fields where employees encounter vulnerable populations may require a routine screening intercheck.
However, if employers are thinking of rescreening their old employees, they must be aware of the following.
- Depending on the law and the type of employees working for you, rescreening can pose great legal and industrial challenges.
- Even if the circumstance allows rescreening as a legal process, employers will need employees’ consent.
- If the employee is already under investigation employers do not need any consent to run a criminal background check.
Note: To be on the safe side, companies and organizations can issue policies regarding the rescreening procedure, which will secure a legal path for the employers to rescreen the employees.
What Prompt Background Check For The Existing Employees?
The rescreening process can be followed for several reasons. Given are some of the most common ones in the industry.
Employee Taking On New Responsibility:
If employees take up more core responsibility and access more sensitive information about the organizations, the organization might feel the need for rescreening. The initial screening might not have been on the level of the new post.
So, with promotion and authority to drive the business, rescreening is the best way to know whether they are the right person or not.
Workplace Accidents:
Workplace accidents happen due to several reasons. If any accidents are directly linked with the employee’s behavior, organizations might feel revamping their screening process.
Updated Screening Standards:
Over time, the screening process changes. If an employee has been a part of your company for a long time, they might be subjected to an experience screening process to maintain the standards.
To Obtain New Information:
An employee has been working for the organization for a long time, yet the organization has little information about them. This process is just for knowing the employees.
Periodic Background Screening Is Important:
Simply put, the pre-employment screening process may not be sufficient for the existing employees. For effective risk management, organizations might feel revamping the screening procedure. Hence, all the existing employees will be subjected to the rescreening process.
What experts have to say on why periodic screening is important:
Negligent hiring liabilities:
Workplace accidents, workplace violence, workplace theft are closely related to negligent hiring. If the employers have been vigilant from the start, they could have welcomed only the right employees to the organizations.
Well, it’s never too late. If the employers feel that screening the employees can solve most of the organization’s problems, periodic screening becomes the core part of the organization’s operations.
Updated Screening Policies:
Screening policies keep on changing depending on time. When an HR changes the new applicants’ screening policies, it sounds right to do the same for the existing employees to maintain the same standard in the workplace.
Employees Were Never Screened:
Every organization has some employees who have been working since the initial days of the organization. Hence, they were never screened before. If that is the case for your organization, it is important that you start screening employees like these.
Conclusion:
Before you or your organization can go through the screening process, you must consider that it might show mistrust towards employees. Hence, be partial to the process and ensure that every employee falls under the rescreening policies.
This way, the policy can be presented positively, with an understanding that the organization wants to know more about employees to keep them safe. This approach might help you keep employees’ morale intact.
Read Also:
