Why regular rescreening is critical for compliance

Background checks are essential when hiring candidates. But it shouldn’t stop there – rescreening all employees is best practice. Some roles and industries do specify that you need to rescreen every couple of years; some industries don’t require it at all. By taking the extra step to rescreen your employees, you can safeguard them and protect your organisational reputation and integrity. Most importantly, it will ensure regulatory compliance and help you keep up with any changes in legislation.

Regulatory requirements are always changing

Regulations are always changing, which is why rescreening is crucial in order to stay compliant. Some industries mandate regular background checks on new and existing staff. The industries that have specific requirements are finance, healthcare, and education and childcare.

• Finance: regulators like the FCA require firms to maintain up-to-date employee information, particularly for roles with fiduciary responsibility.
  
  
• Healthcare: compliance with healthcare regulations often requires regular screening to ensure ongoing suitability to work with vulnerable people.
  
  
• Education and childcare: rescreening is vital to safeguard children and ensure any relevant licences and qualifications haven’t expired.
  
  

Failure to rescreen employees could be seen as not complying with regulatory requirements. This could result in hefty fines, reputational damage, and could have consequences within the wider community, as non-compliance affects more than just the individual or organisation.

Things change over time

A pre-employment background check only tells you about a candidate’s life before joining your workforce – it doesn’t capture any of the picture once the employee is in their role at work. Anything can change in an instant – an employee could be investigated and found guilty of misconduct or fraud, or it could be something as simple as having a licence expire. Without regular rescreening, organisations leave themselves vulnerable and at risk. Rescreening also ensures that people in positions of trust are adequately qualified and can adhere to the standards required by their roles.

Mitigating risk and protecting organisational integrity

Routine rescreening ensures that organisations are protecting themselves from risk. Having a rescreening policy gets organisations ahead of the game and futureproofs them – it allows them to take proactive measures before risk escalates, which is particularly important if individuals have access to confidential information and data, deal with financial assets, or are in constant contact with the most vulnerable people in society.

Promoting a compliance-first culture

Regulators, clients, and stakeholders increasingly expect organisations to go beyond minimum compliance standards. Routine background checks demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to integrity, safety, and accountability. This commitment can also strengthen internal culture, giving employees confidence in their workplace and the people they work with.

Moreover, in the event of a legal investigation or audit, being able to show that your company conducts regular rescreening can serve as evidence of due diligence and responsible governance.

Rescreening is becoming seen as a crucial pillar of compliance processes. As risks evolve and regulations become stricter, organisations must take proactive steps to ensure ongoing trustworthiness, safety, and regulatory alignment within their workforce. By utilising regular rescreening, companies can ensure they are always compliant. Setting up rescreening as soon as possible can help futureproof an organisation from further risk, safeguard staff, and reinforce an organisation’s commitment to integrity and transparency.