Let’s say that your company is completely on top of performing high-quality, in-depth background checks on every new hire before they join the team. Everything you need to know at the time of hire is on file, ready to pull out if there is ever a need.
You have your bases covered, right? Yes – for now.
Comprehensive background checks are a key resource in finding candidates that not only fit the job at hand, but become long-term employees who grow with the company year after year. While that is ultimately the goal of finding a successful hire, personnel management does not stop there.
The more vital an employee is to a company’s mission, the more likely they are to have access to sensitive information. This makes ongoing trust an essential part of a healthy, protected work environment. Maintaining that trust requires ongoing monitoring.
Insider threats pose a significant risk that can be more challenging to detect and mitigate than the external threats HR teams are more attuned to. Ongoing background checks play a critical role in identifying and preventing insider threats, focusing on best practices and legal considerations in sensitive industries.
Here’s what you need to know:
Understanding Insider Threats
Insider threats come from individuals within the organization who have access to sensitive information and systems. The higher up an employee is in the company, the more of a risk they pose should their intentions become less than honorable. These insiders could be employees, contractors, or business partners.
The threat they pose can be intentional, such as espionage or sabotage, or unintentional, resulting from negligence or lack of awareness. The consequences of insider threats can be devastating, including loss of sensitive data, financial damage, and harm to national security in the case of government sectors.
Initial Background Checks: The First Line of Defense
The first step in mitigating insider threats is thorough initial background checks during the hiring process. These checks include verifying the individual’s identity, criminal record, education, employment history, and in some cases, financial status. In sensitive sectors, this process often involves a higher level of scrutiny, sometimes including security clearance procedures.
However, initial background checks are not sufficient on their own. People’s circumstances and behaviors can change over time, potentially increasing their risk profile. For example, financial hardships, personal grievances, or radicalization can occur post-employment, none of which would be flagged during initial screenings.
Best Practices in Conducting Ongoing Background Checks
Ideally, the process of re-screening comes naturally throughout the employee’s career trajectory, with a new background screening being performed with every promotion the employee receives. However, that is not always the case.
Here are a few things to consider when implementing this policy:
- Regular Interval Screening: Establish a routine schedule for re-screening, such as annually or biennially. The frequency should align with the sensitivity of the position and the level of access to critical information.
- Comprehensive Scope: Ongoing checks should cover criminal records, financial status, and potentially, social media activity. For certain positions, it might also include monitoring foreign travel and contacts.
- Employee Privacy and Rights: It’s vital to balance security needs with respect for employee privacy. Clear communication about the screening process and obtaining consent where necessary are important. You must receive consent for every background screening conducted. You cannot perform a new one simply because they authorized it previously.
- Actionable Response Plans: Establish clear protocols for responding to red flags identified during re-screening. This might include additional investigations, revocation of security clearances, or in extreme cases, termination of employment.
Legal Considerations and Compliance
Legal compliance in ongoing background checks is critical, especially where laws regarding employee privacy, data protection, and anti-discrimination are concerned.
When conducting ongoing background checks on long-term employees, HR departments face unique ethical considerations that may not be as prominent with new hires. The longstanding relationship between the employer and the employee adds layers of complexity to the process.
This includes:
- Respect for Employee Privacy: Long-term employees may have a heightened expectation of privacy and trust. Unlike new hires, who enter the organization knowing that background checks are part of the hiring process, long-term employees might perceive ongoing checks as a breach of trust or an invasion of privacy. It’s important to balance the need for security with respect for the individual’s privacy.
- Potential for Bias: With long-term employees, there’s a risk that personal biases (positive or negative) could influence the decision-making process during screening. Familiarity with the employee might lead to assumptions or overlooking critical issues, or conversely, to unnecessary scrutiny based on past conflicts.
- Impact on Employee Morale: Regular background checks can impact the morale of long-term employees, potentially leading to feelings of mistrust or resentment. It’s important to manage this process in a way that reinforces the value and contributions of long-term employees, rather than implying a lack of trust.
- Legal and Contractual Obligations: There may be contractual or legal limitations on conducting background checks on existing employees, especially if such checks were not stipulated in the original terms of employment.
Outsourcing the Background Screening Process
Given these complexities, outsourcing the background screening process to a reputable third party can offer several advantages:
- Neutrality and Objectivity: A third party can conduct checks without the potential bias that might come from within the organization.
- Expertise and Compliance: Professional screening firms are typically well-versed in legal and ethical compliance, reducing the risk of violations.
- Efficiency and Resources: Outsourcing can be more efficient, especially for organizations without the internal resources to conduct thorough checks.
- Distance from Internal Dynamics: Using a third-party service can help maintain a professional distance and avoid the perception of internal politics influencing the screening process.
The Role of Technology in Continuous Screening
Advancements in technology have made continuous background checks more feasible and efficient. Automated systems can flag changes in criminal records, credit reports, and other relevant databases. However, the use of such systems must be carefully managed to ensure accuracy and compliance with data protection laws.
To Sum it Up
Ongoing background checks are a critical component of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate insider threats, especially in high-security sectors. While initial screenings are important, they cannot account for changes that occur over the course of an individual’s employment.
Continuous monitoring, combined with a strong security culture and adherence to legal and ethical standards, is key to protecting sensitive information and assets from insider threats. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, so too must the strategies employed to counteract these risks, with ongoing background checks being a pivotal tool in this ongoing effort.
At First Contact HR, we ensure your company is safe at every stage of employment through comprehensive background checks.