So, you have a very successful business that has been running for a few years now, with happy hard-working employees who you took in after exhaustive background screenings. All new members of your staff are employed only after proper background screening. Everything is hunky-dory and you are so satisfied you have the right work-force to forge ahead with that you are actually almost complacent. The question however is, can you afford to or should you be complacent? What is the guarantee that the employee you hired two years ago still has a clean background? Also, how do you know that two years from now the employee you had great faith in will still have a spotless record? There is no guarantee that an employee’s behaviour remains unchanged forever. Circumstances change and so do people. Most businesses and employers world over and in India too are guilty of assuming that when a person starts with a clean record, it will remain clean for life. This is where infinity background screening comes in, and is a preferred method of managing risk today. It entails doing a regular periodic check on employees for as long as they are employed with a firm. This way, the employer is in the know at all times and risk is mitigated. The difference between pre-employment screening and post-employment (infinity) screening is simply this – the former guards against bad hiring decisions while the latter is like a shield protecting the business or company for life. Yes, there are some firms that rely on the honour system of voluntary reporting but given human nature; this is definitely not a fool proof method. This becomes especially important if a firm is operating in a high-risk area. Fraud is a major issue that all employers and businesses are very scared of and would like to avoid as far as possible. The sad fact is that a significant percentage of fraud incidents are attributed to employees and includes stolen identities, information and even property. Infinity screening allows an employer to have the right information at the right time thus enabling the best use of assets at all times. Infinity screening has also proved to be very useful in restricting workplace violence, a phenomenon mostly prevalent in but not exclusive to the West simply by allowing the employer full control by virtue of having the right information at his or her fingertips so the end result is a safer, peaceful workplace for all employees. Before implementing an infinity screening program, there are several considerations for an employer – For example, the existence of a proper policy of background screening is a must. Then again, all jobs in an organisation do not have the same weightage. A manager for example has much more responsibility and has a much larger portfolio compared to the company driver or front office receptionist. This means that the risk associated with a manager is much higher. So more sensitive, risk-laden jobs should be given higher priority by employers. Most importantly, employee consent is essential for checks and they should be given adequate notice about it. Infinity screening programs have been adopted widely across the world and it is in the interest of firms that want to shield themselves better over the long term to go in for such a program. At the end of the day, it makes for better, more efficient functioning of the company and much peace of mind.
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