Why Rescreening Employees is Just as Important as Pre-Employment Screening

Do you remember when you last conducted a background check on your existing employees? If your answer is “while hiring them,” you might be running into an unforeseen risk, as you don’t have current information about your employees' backgrounds. This is not just you; most companies around the world rely heavily on pre-employment screening, although rescreening is just as important.

By rescreening employees, your company remains compliant, up-to-date, and secure, and allows you to know about any changes in an employee's background. Whether it's a legal issue, a lapsed license, or a security problem, ongoing background checks ensure that your personnel continue to meet the standards set during the hiring process.

Why Rescreening Employees Matters

Using inaccurate and inadequate employee records can be alarming for a company. Here's why rescreening should be a priority in your HR solutions:

• Keep track of employee records: Your employees’ education, criminal background, and legal status may change with time, which is why employee rescreening is crucial to maintain the latest records of the existing employees and understand their current background.
• Minimise security risks: Employees working in highly sensitive positions like finance, healthcare, and education are more susceptible to posing a security threat. Regular background checks by employers are the solution to spotting any red flags early on.
• Avoid compliance gaps: Industry laws and regulations don't remain constant and some sectors, like financial service and healthcare, follow strict regulations, and non-compliance may lead to heavy penalties. Regular employee rescreening helps you avoid undue risks, penalties, and legal complications, safeguarding your business.
• Protect your company’s reputation: Negative news surrounding an employee’s misconduct or unlawful behavior may damage a company’s reputation, which may hurt the organisation’s customers and partners. Therefore, regular background checks by employers can help a company to prevent these situations before they escalate.

When Should You Rescreen Employees?

Constant background checks on employees may not be a practical solution, but in certain cases re-screening becomes crucial. Here’s when should you rescreen your employees:

• At Regular Intervals: To keep the employees’ records up-to-date, many companies perform regular background checks, ideally in about two to three years.
• Before Role Changes or Promotions: If the candidate changes role, specifically in finance or a role involving working with children or vulnerable groups, rescreening or additional screening is required.
• After Extended Leaves: Employees coming back from long breaks (e.g. maternity or sabbatical leaves) should be checked to ascertain they meet the required standards.
• When Legal or Regulatory Changes Occur: The introduction of certain laws could make it necessary to carry out some background checks, especially in regulated sectors.
• Before Renewing Employment Contracts: For businesses that hire contractual employees, it would be wise to conduct rescreening before the contract is renewed.

What Should Be Included in a Rescreening Program?

Rescreening depends on your industry, the nature of the work, and industry specific laws, but a rescreening program should include basic components such as:

• Criminal Record Checks: These checks make sure an employee has not committed any form of crime after being engaged with the company.
• Employment Background Check UK: Confirms employment history and ensures claims made by the employee were not fabricated.
• Verification of Licenses and Certifications: Checks that professional licenses are still valid.
• Credit Checks: Necessary for employees handling financial transaction responsibilities.
• Driving License Check (as applicable): Checks that employees with driving duties do not have any driving offenses on record.
• Social Media Check: Reviews publicly available information pertaining to an employee's online presence to assess any potential risks.

The Advantages of Rescreening Workforce

Consider these advantages of rescreening to determine if it is worthwhile:

• Increased Workplace Safety: Helps mitigate risk by identifying employees who may pose safety concerns.
• Better Compliance: Assists in keeping up with the constant change in regulations for the business.
• Enhanced Trust and Transparency: Employees understand that background checks aren’t about distrust but rather serve as a tool to enhance integrity within the workplace.
• Informed Decisions Regarding Hiring and Promotions: Allows for employees assuming higher responsibility positions to have the qualified outlined standards.

How to Implement an Effective Rescreening Strategy

Here are a few practical steps that should be considered to ensure effective strategies for rescreening:

• Establish a clear policy: Define a clear policy highlighting the reason, time, and purpose for rescreening employees, whether at specific time intervals, promotion periods, or after extended leave.
• Work with trusted background checkers: Partner with a trusted background checker, like Complygate, for employment background checks that guarantee compliance and information accuracy.
• Explain the process to employees: Communicating the reasoning behind the policies will help build trust. Explain why rescreening is necessary and how it benefits both the employees and the company.
• Ensure proper storage of documents: Reviewing past screening documents should be easy or accessible to streamline future checks.
• Conduct policy review regularly: Stay updated with legal changes and industry best practices to ensure your screening process remains relevant.

Rescreening employees shouldn't be regarded as another routine for an HR, but as a way to manage risk in restraining a secure, compliant, and trustworthy workspace. Background check procedures should not be restricted to a single check post hiring the candidate. There should be constant evaluations to confirm that the employee sustains the company's expectations.

Whether you’re checking background details for new hires or conducting employment background checks in the UK for current employees, having a solid rescreening policy in place protects your business from unnecessary risks. Stay proactive, stay compliant, and most importantly, stay secure.

Do you need an expert background checker to help you with your rescreening policies? Book a demo with us today and make it your priority to escalate workplace safety.