by Jenny Reid
Many companies have effective pre-employment screening policies, but the need for screening doesn’t end after hiring. Regular rescreening of existing employees at all levels is essential to protect the company from unforeseen issues and to ensure preparedness.
Regular rescreening and continuous monitoring of employee credentials safeguard your organisation against potential risks posed by employees. The level of risk associated with a position should also be considered during rescreening, as some positions may require closer monitoring than others. Consequently, the checks needed may vary across different positions.
These include but are not limited to:
Criminal Record Checks
Driver’s License Verifications depending on the date of expiry of the license.
Social Media Risk Assessment
If employees are resistant to the introduction of a rescreening programme, it can be implemented at the point of transfer or promotion, making it a requirement for such changes. However, if resistance remains high, it may be necessary to proceed with rescreening regardless, as significant resistance could be a cause for concern.
Certain checks are legally required to be done at regular events and examples of these are:
Pep and Sanctions Tests
These measures are typically used by financial institutions and certain designated non-financial businesses and professions to comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations.
Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) refer to entities or professions that are not primarily financial institutions but are susceptible to being used for money laundering and terrorist financing activities. DNFBPs are considered high-risk due to the nature of their business activities and the potential for handling large sums of money or facilitating transactions that could be exploited for illicit purposes.
Here are some examples of DNFBPs:
Attorneys and legal professionals
Accountants and auditors
Real estate agents and brokers
Trust and company service providers (TCSPs)
Dealers in precious metals and stones
Dealers in high-value goods such as art, antiques, and collectables
Casinos, gambling establishments, and betting operators
Money or value transfer services (MVTS) providers are not classified as financial institutions.
Industry Specific Registration Documents
Certain industries require registration and compliance with the relevant industry authority or body. Employers in these industries should regularly review employee compliance documents.
Some examples of industries requiring regular registration are:
Teachers
Security Officers
Health Professionals
Construction
IT Professionals
Fire Service Professionals
Agriculture
Mining
Manufacturing
Engineering
The above rescreening suggestions will aid in reducing risk within your organisation, but to ensure the screening policy is truly effective, it must be drawn up in line with the risk profile of the positions in the organisation.
This process is often best executed by the experts to ensure compliance with regularly changing laws.
Jenny Reid is a Human Risk Expert and Professional Speaker, and the owner of iFacts based in South Africa, a specialist employee screening and vetting service. She is constantly assessing new and innovative ways to remove the people risk in any organisation. Since 2009 when she took over iFacts completely, she has seen the company double in size and hopes to continue this growth. iFacts specializes in employee Screening, risk assessments, employee wellness, investigations, and truth verification. Jenny is a past President of the Security Association of South Africa. Contact Jenni via email jenny@ifacts.co.za
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