Pre-hire screening is a great way to gauge whether or not new hires meet company standards before entering the doors on their first day. However, standards are meant to be upheld and many organizations don’t have processes in place to keep employees accountable past their hire date.
Words like ‘pre-employment screening’ and ‘applicant screening’ work to express only a portion of the background and health screening reach.
Post-hire and continuous screening are also tremendously valuable and recommended to any organization that wants to better promote workplace safety and employee productivity.
While positivity and trust are vital to a healthy company culture, personnel managers should still work to ensure their employees are representing the company appropriately. The following are a few things that can damage a company’s reputation and lower employee productivity.
- Employee drug use
- Pending civil or criminal cases against an active employee
- Crimes committed by employees during their tenure with the company
- An employee’s poor online behavior
- Motor vehicle accidents (depending on the employee’s job duties)
Post-hire screening can help employers identify such things and take necessary actions to preserve the integrity of their standards.
Compliance Note
All employees must expressly consent to post-hire screening of any kind. This consent can be obtained during the pre-employment screening processes by adding a clause to the candidate’s authorization and requesting consent to future screening. Most screening vendors can work with you to add a legally defensible clause to candidate authorization forms.
Consider These Solutions
1. Post-Hire Drug Screening
Passing a single pre-hire drug test doesn’t necessarily mean drug use won’t become a problem later on. Depending on the industry, area, and position of hire, some organizations may find it valuable to conduct drug testing on employees on a regular, random, or as-needed basis.
Random Testing
Random drug testing programs work as a layer of accountability while also encouraging a drug-free workplace. Screening vendors can maintain and generate random lists and initiate drug testing on selected individuals.
Reasonable Suspicion
A reasonable suspicion drug testing program is helpful when an employer has reason to believe that a certain employee may be working under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Compliance Note
The legalities of post-hire drug testing encounter some nuance from state to state. Not all practices are legal in every jurisdiction. Many states require that organizations formally publish their drug screening plan in writing and provide it to every new hire. Some states have no formal requirements. It’s important to know the regulations in your state before implementing any post-hire screening program.
Learn more about Peopletrail drug screening services here.
2. Continuous Monitoring
One of the most useful post-hire criminal screening solutions is continuous monitoring. Depending on an organization’s needs, criminal re-checks can be initiated on current employees monthly, quarterly, or annually. This allows employers to be informed of employee post-hire crimes.
Post-hire employment monitoring can also be valuable. Employment monitoring alerts employers when an employee carries employment concurrently with another organization. This can help reduce time theft, especially in work-from-home environments.
Learn more about employment monitoring here.
3. Social Media Screening
The average user engages with social media for nearly two and a half hours per day. Considering that 72.3 percent of the U.S. population uses one or more social platforms, it’s safe to say the majority of employed individuals are leaving an online footprint– one that may be helpful or harmful to the organization they work for.
Annual social media checks enable employers to better know if their employees’ online conduct is in line with core company values and standards.
Take note of these social media statistics.
4. Motor Vehicle Records Search
Routine MVR checks may be a good idea for employees who operate motor vehicles on the job. If the employee operates a commercial vehicle, an annual or quarterly check of their personal license, as well as their CDL, is highly recommended. In fact, annual MVR checks are required by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for commercial operators.
5. OIG Sanctions List
According to the OIG:
“OIG has the authority to exclude individuals and entities from Federally funded health care programs for a variety of reasons, including a conviction for Medicare or Medicaid fraud.”
Furthermore,
“Anyone who hires an individual or entity on the LEIE may be subject to civil monetary penalties (CMP). To avoid CMP liability, healthcare entities should routinely check the list to ensure that new hires and current employees are not on it.”
Depending on the industry and position of hire, some organizations may want to run routine checks of the OIG list to make sure current employees aren’t on it. A simple annual search could spare them from potential civil penalties.
Takeaways
Post-hire screening is not a negative practice nor is it a sign of distrust. It is a practice that communicates high standards and company expectations to each employee. Having the right program in place can help organizations promote and maintain safer, healthier work environments. That being said, there are state-specific (as well as federal) laws and regulations to be well aware of before implementing any post-employment screening process. For this reason, it is always a good idea to choose a screening partner who will keep you informed and compliant.
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