A quick guide to rescreening for compliance and risk management

Background screening is a critical component of the hiring process, but the responsibility of mitigating risk and ensuring compliance doesn’t end once a candidate is onboarded. Ongoing background rescreening helps organisations identify new risks that may arise after employment begins, especially in industries with heightened regulatory and security requirements. This guide outlines best practices and strategies for compliant rescreening.

What is rescreening?

Background rescreening is the process of rechecking an employee’s background after a certain period to identify any new issues or risks that may have developed since the initial screening. 

Why is it important?

Compliance

Rescreening ensures all around compliance. You may also have to rescreen employees due to industry-specific regulations – some industries (e.g. finance, healthcare, education) require regular background checks. Some industries also have additional requirements depending on the employee’s role and responsibilities.

Risk management

Regular rescreening can boost your company’s integrity and foster a sense of transparency – it can help identify insider threats, which can create an even safer environment for staff. By weeding out any unethical conduct, you can also avoid reputational damage and potentially boost your reputation as a trusted business.

When to rescreen

Role-based rescreening

Role-based rescreening depends on the seniority of the role and can be industry-specific. Individuals in high-risk industries (finance, security) and positions (executive/director roles) typically need to be rechecked annually or every two years. Moderate risk roles give more leeway – you only need to conduct a rescreening every two to five years. Lower risk positions should be assessed on a case-by-case basis – if there’s no need to rescreen a candidate, it can be seen as an invasive extra step. Lower risk employees should therefore only be rescreened when absolutely necessary or in response to an incident or allegation of wrongdoing.

Event-based rescreening

Event-based rescreening is appropriate when something significant happens. Typically, this happens if someone is promoted or moves roles internally, but also needs to be conducted if an individual is re-employed by a company they have previously worked at. Depending on the role and industry, an employee may also need event-based rescreening if they are returning from a sabbatical or a secondment.

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Any workplace incidents of misconduct or unethical behaviour would also warrant rescreening of a current employee.

What should be included in a rescreening check?

Best practice will be determined by an employee’s role and industry, but we recommend including the following depending on local regulations.

• Criminal background check
  
  
• Professional licences, qualifications, and certifications
  
  
• Credit reports (if applicable)
  
  
• Driving licence validity and record (if applicable)
  
  
• Sanctions and watchlists
  
  
• Social media check (if applicable)

Background rescreening is a proactive risk management and compliance measure that helps ensure your workforce remains trustworthy and adheres to legal and ethical standards. It helps any organisation stay ahead of the game in terms of compliance and can potentially futureproof them from potential reputational harm. Businesses who want to ensure compliance at every level should implement regular rescreening to protect both themselves and their employees.