If you’ve read some of my posts in the past (which you all should have), you’ll notice that I enjoy Roy Maurer‘s articles. He does a great job of viewing the background screening industry in an “outside of the box” sort of way.
In one of his most recent articles on SHRM.org, he talks about how “continuous, post-hire monitoring” is becoming the new norm for many employers. According to Raj Ananthanpillai, CEO and president of IDentrix, “background check vendors do a good job with the past…but people are dynamic and so is the risk they propose to organizations. One-and-done background checks don’t account for the dynamic nature of risk factors.”
What are some of the post-hire threats that are most concerning to employers? According to Maurer, they can be anything from “embezzlement, fraud, and theft to violent behavior”. According to Les Rosen, the CEO of Employment Screening Resources, “an employer may discover post-employment that critical information was missed during the hiring process. For example, an employer may discover post-hire that a person is a registered sex offender or that a credential is faked. Employers shouldn’t assume that passing a background check means there will never be issues with insider threats down the line.”
Rosen notes the importance of job application forms and employee handbooks being clear that any misinformation or omission, regardless of when it is found, can result in termination. Employee handbooks should be very specific in what will happen if application or interview falsehoods or omissions are found post-hire.
So while the importance of continous monitoring of employees is what more employers are looking into, pre-employment background screening continues to be vital. According to Rosen, “employers should have policies, practices, and procedures to carefully select employees in the first place.”
