Making the Case for Rescreening Employees

For many employers across America, background screening is purely an element of the initial hiring process. According to HireRight’s 2024 Global Benchmark Report, 57% of responding employers stated they did not conduct any form of post-hire monitoring or screening. Fifty-three percent of respondents clarified that the absence of regulatory requirements drove that decision. While post-hire screening is common in some industries, it has so far not been a priority for other employers.

Should it be? About 24% of respondents said they weren’t engaged in rescreening due to a lack of knowledge about the process. Let’s take a closer look at what this procedure involves to shine a light on how it can be a valuable resource for some employers.

The Rescreening Concept Explained

Rescreening refers to looking into an employee's background and credentials again at some stage after hiring, often beginning about one year after the individual begins work. This process supports better risk management, especially for potentially sensitive roles, by providing employers with an up-to-date record of key facts. For example, healthcare regulations may require periodic screening as a means to determine that professional licenses remain in good standing. Employers may also engage in continuous monitoring to detect changes in an individual’s criminal history report.

Why Engage in Rescreening? Exploring the Advantages

Absent a regulatory requirement to engage in rescreening, there are still many reasons for an employer to consider adopting this process. Consider why organizations may find value here.

Demonstrate commitments to due diligence to customers

In B2B spaces where customers have a vested interest in conducting their own due diligence on the companies they choose to work with, rescreening can demonstrate that a business has a strong commitment to risk management and safe operations. In situations where a prospective customer reviews these elements of a company, the combination of strong hiring processes and continued workforce oversight could provide a leg up over the competition.

Safeguard a brand reputation

A brand's image and public reputation is very important for businesses. Protecting that brand could involve more than the management of external factors: it may also require vigilance against negative acts by employees or the development of new risks.

Rescreening can provide a means to help protect and preserve a company's reputation. It informs employers of changing circumstances in an employee’s background and provides the opportunity to evaluate the nature of the risk. It enables swifter action when appropriate to help reduce risk and protect the business’s reputation.

Reduce the risk of internal threats

While businesses face fraud and data privacy risks from a host of threats outside the business, internal employees can represent a risk, too. Individuals may steal from the business physically or financially. They may pose a threat to data or open the door to a potential data breach. Rescreening contributes to managing these concerns by helping employers see when elements in an individual's background change. With companies across economic sectors facing the potential for insider threats, rescreening offers an additional solution to empower stronger and ongoing due diligence.

Prepare for promotions

Promotions within a business may sometimes mean moving an employee into a job category that carries a higher level of risk, more sensitive duties, or a certain level of seniority with additional expectations. Rescreening provides the ideal opportunity to verify that an individual meets these expectations and is suitable for the level of promotion under consideration.

An individual moving into upper management, for example, could face additional requirements that lower-risk positions don't. An entry-level employee may not necessarily have their credit checked, but a senior financial manager may. Rescreening allows for taking these extra steps while also delivering an updated point of view in other areas of due diligence.

Encourage employee transparency

A rescreening policy may encourage employees to come forward with information about changes that could have an effect on a business or its brand reputation. This creates opportunities for employers to work with these employees on the appropriate way to proceed towards the next steps. Encouraging an open conversation prior to rescreening may help facilitate a simpler, more streamlined resolution process.

Fill in screening gaps

In some cases, an individual may not go through a typical pre-hire screening process. That could occur for many reasons, such as the lack of a consistent policy at the time the employee began working, or when a business relied on a staffing agency to provide pre-screened employees. Rescreening solutions let employers fill in these gaps to detect potential risk.

Find Rescreening Solutions that Match Your Business Needs

Screening job applicants is a central element of due diligence in hiring, but there are clear reasons for which a business may choose to repeat the process at future stages of an individual’s employment. From protecting a company’s brand from reputation damage to risk mitigation and compliance, each reason highlights the value of a reliable rescreening service in different areas.

Someone’s suitability at hiring doesn’t automatically mean they’ll remain a good fit far into the future. With rescreening, businesses can exercise more control over this source of risk and make more informed and data-driven decisions. Consider how your organization might benefit by exploring such solutions today.