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Profiling: pre- and post-employment

Employment referencing should not be seen as a passive, reactive means of ending of undesirables, but as an aggressive, pro-active way to reduce turnover and maintain a higher and a more productive workforce.

The integrity assessment process is aimed at identifying any potentially detrimental behaviour, ie, any behaviour that is not in line with a company’s codes of conduct or ethics. Behaviour may be company-specific, but assessments are always evaluated in terms of global norms, eg, from truancy and sleeping on duty to more serious transgressions, such as fraud and theft.

The profiling process focuses on determining the compatibility of a prospective or existing employee with the requirements of a specific position, as well as with a specific company in a specific country. This process further gives an indication of ethical compatibility. All screening processes are designed to predict a candidate’s future behaviour.

The importance of pre-employment integrity assessments and profiling:

* Negative behavioural patterns potentially detrimental to a company can be determined.

* Past fraudulent behaviour can be made known to a company prior to appointment.

* Adopting a pro-active approach in which potential candidates are informed that they will be assessed as a pre-requisite prior to interviewing for a position as part of pre-employment screening, will keep unwanted people from applying in the first place.

* Finding the right person for a position regarding job requirements is made a lot easier.

* Potential for further development and training is indicated as part of the pre-employment profiling.

* Company/organisation specific requirements can be determined as part of pre-employment assessments, for example presentability, verbal ability, people skills, assertiveness, etc.

The importance of integrity assessments and profiling on existing staff:

* Apart from effective screening on a pre-employment level, monitoring and re-assessments, especially regarding ethics in the workplace, are crucial. This will enable both the client and their contractors to take pro-active steps in case of undesirable conduct.

* The mere knowledge that re-assessments are taking place on an ongoing basis is a pro-active measure as fear of being caught will decrease involvement in negative behaviour. On the other hand, positive behaviour may be rewarded, thereby enhancing ethics in the workplace.

* Negative behavioural patterns of employees which have already manifested and which may be to the detriment of a company, may be identified. Research has proved beyond any doubt that defrauders have generally been in the employ of a company for a couple of years, and are usually in a position of trust and authority with access to funds or the power to make decisions.

* Potential assessment is crucial prior to either promoting or transfering employees. Negative behaviour (intentional or unintentional) is often the result of wrong appointments.

* Results of post-employment assessments may be used for training and development.

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