Everything about in-employment screening

What is in-employment screening?

In-employment screening involves verifying the relevant data of existing employees. A change in an employee’s situation could potentially affect their current or future performance. In-employment screening ensures that an employer is aware of these risks.

Here you can read everything you need to know about in-employment screening:

• Why conduct in-employment screening?
• Validata’s in-employment screening services
• Two types of in-employment screening

1. Single in-employment screening
2. Periodic in-employment screening

• Validata’s in-employment screening software
• In-employment screening background checks
• In-employment screening and the GDPR
• The combination of pre- and in-employment screening

Why conduct in-employment screening?

• Laws and regulations: In some sectors, there are legal obligations with regard to the quality and reliability of employees. For example, financial institutions may only appoint a person to an integrity-sensitive position after they have made a substantiated assessment of his reliability. According to former Minister of Finance Wopke Hoekstra’s 2019 parliamentary document, banks should also periodically check whether existing employees appear on sanctions lists and what information they consult in customer systems.
• Job change: In the event that an employee changes jobs and or is promoted, it is interesting to check certain personal data again. Some background checks are snapshots and should be conducted again after a period of time. For example, consider a check for criminal offenses by applying for a certificate of conduct (VOG).
• Business acquisition: When an entrepreneur decides to merge with or take over a business, it may be wise to screen the incumbent staff to ensure they know who is currently employed. In addition, it sends a clear message to employees that integrity and quality are paramount.
• Quality standards: In-employment screening can also be part of an organisation’s policy to ensure continuous quality. Think of a regulation regarding secondary functions, activities and or conflicts of interest. Additionally, there are also requirements from laws and regulations. For example, a healthcare provider must renew his BIG registration every five years by demonstrating that he meets the set requirements.

Two types of in-employment screening

In-employment screening can be a seldom, one time or periodic check:

1. Single in-employment screening

An organisation may choose to screen its incumbent staff for the purpose of ensuring integrity and quality. Furthermore, it may choose to conduct a one-time screening when an employee changes positions or is promoted and given more responsibilities.

2. Periodic in-employment screening

Secondly, it is also possible to have personnel screened periodically. A plausible reason could be risk or quality management, but for some organisations a periodic screening is mandatory due to sector-related laws and regulations. For example, the Financial Supervision Act (Wft) requires financial advisors to hold a Wft diploma. This document expires after a period of time and should therefore be extended and verified again.

In-employment screening background checks

In-employment screening is often an addition to pre-employment screening. Therefore, the checks that organisations screen their current staff for differ from those requested at the time of hire. It is not necessary to repeat certain background checks because this data is not subject to change. Consider the work experience check, where prior work experience is objectively verified.

In addition, an organisation’s sector can influence the checks conducted within an in-employment screening. For example, a healthcare provider must periodically renew his BIG registration. A BIG check is therefore well suited within an in-employment screening for businesses within the healthcare sector. Other examples are the credit check and PEP-check, Sanction list, and Adverse media check for the financial sector.

Some of the generic checks that Validata typically includes in an in-employment screening are:

• Statement of integrity, different from the questionnaire that is part of the pre-employment screening
• VOG check
• Credit check

In addition, the in-employment screening can be expanded with other components depending on the sector and position. We like to think along with you so that there is always a screening profile that suits the needs of your organisation.

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