When screening employees we should assess their suitability in the background screening programme designed by our company. Could your employee screening policy have identified the suitability of an employee to work remotely or from home?
At iFacts we believe that we need to evolve as our market does and the lockdown has brought interesting challenges for the employee screening environment. We conducted a survey shortly before the end of level 4 lockdown to establish how individuals coped during this time and if they were suitable to work from home or remotely.
Whilst criminal records have become even more trendy with people signing an admission of guilt fee for contravening lockdown regulations, we do not believe that will change the way employers screen potential employees but we do believe that an employee screening policy should now include the ability of an individual to work remotely or from home.
The positive facts show that generally speaking there was a great amount of positivity from employees and companies that were relatively easily able to adapt to the new working conditions. However, the lockdown challenges created much negativity in people’s thinking and attitude towards the authorities and concern about their personal finances.
The social interaction at the office was sorely missed by many and it can be seen how this created a level of frustration amongst people. In order to work remotely, an individual requires a fair amount of self-confidence and self-motivation. Our latest research into the suitability of an individual to work remotely shows that in addition to these traits, individuals have to have certain skills:
· Good communication skills
· Resourcefulness
· Critical thinking
· Tech Savvy
The one other stumbling block that many people faced was poor data availability and quality. It is fascinating that the service providers did not appear to step up to the mark and assist in this area during a time of challenge.
Before allowing an employee to work from home more permanently we strongly recommend a suitability assessment to ensure good employee wellness and efficiency on the part of the employee.