Monitoring employees on an ongoing basis is becoming more and more necessary as organizations seek to hire quality workers in a candidate-driven market. Continuous monitoring will ensure that your employees have not had any legal, substance, or license revocations that could impact their ability to contribute to a safe and healthy workplace.
Continuous monitoring can prevent issues due to employee missteps. It can detect potential risks and non-compliance caused by employee behavior. Depending on your industry, you may want to consider monitoring your employees for:
In the healthcare space, many risks need to be considered. If someone has been arrested for a violent crime or substance abuse, they may not be fit to work with vulnerable patients and controlled substances. If their license has been suspended or revoked, your organization may be penalized for employing them.
For example, in January 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General fined New Jersey unlicensed Dentist Roben Brookhim for $1,134,000 for practicing in violation of his exclusion from federal healthcare programs. Continuous monitoring of your employees can go a long way toward preventing your organization from being vulnerable to fines and legal action.
Similar to healthcare, the hospitality industry could greatly benefit from continuous monitoring. Someone who works at the front desk of a hotel, for example, has access to personal information like addresses and phone numbers, credit card and financial information, and has access to any room in the hotel. While hospitality isn’t regulated like healthcare, there is a potential legal vulnerability in hiring or employing someone accused of a financial crime, identity theft, or sexual assault. Continuous monitoring can alert you of an arrest proactively so you can take appropriate action.
As an employer in the financial industry, you know that your employees handle personal information, financial information, credit records, as well as other protected and regulated information. Being notified that an employee has either been involved in any criminal or financial cases is vital. For example, a bankruptcy filing may drive an employee to embezzle funds or otherwise steal from an employer. Continuous criminal monitoring can alert the Human Resources department and reduce the risk of insider threats.
Employees in a retail environment have access to customer financial information, cash registers, as well as products for sale. Substance abuse or a theft charge may increase their risk as an employee as well as create an unsafe environment for other staff. Monitoring retail staff continuously will keep you abreast of any charges that may put your business at risk.
Often, in the manufacturing industry, safety is the number one concern. On the factory floor, a minor slipup could have dire consequences, resulting in lost productivity, product losses, or employee safety. Predictive maintenance and the Internet of Things has made proactive machinery maintenance commonplace. Continuous monitoring does the same for employees. Substance abuse or driving under the influence arrest could indicate a problem that puts others in the workplace at risk. With continuing monitoring, HR is notified proactively and can take action to address the issue.
As an employer, you must determine if you are going to be reactive or proactive when it comes to employee and organizational risk. Screening should not stop when an employee is hired. Instead, use continuous monitoring to identify potential warning signs before it is too late. Schedule a meeting with an Orange Tree representative to discuss how continuous monitoring could benefit your organization.
Are you seeking more information around the background screening industry? Look no further than our latest Build Your Solution tool.