Managing Risk Through Background Checks: Malicious “Insiders” Beyond Your Organization’s Walls, Part One
It’s an unfortunate reality that many data breaches are caused by malicious insiders. A robust background screening program for your own employees is a critical component to better managing this dangerous risk to your organization. Insider threats can, however, come from sources other than your own employees – consider the vendor personnel and temporary workers who have access to your facilities, data and assets.
According to the 2010 HireRight Employment Screening Benchmarking Report, only about 35 percent of organizations perform background checks on these individuals, representing a critical security risk.
Therefore, it’s important to put in place a process to screen your “extended workforce” in the same way you do your full-time staff. Though implementing a background screening program for third-party personnel or contingent workers can be daunting for some employers, there are a few simple steps you can take to begin developing a successful extended workforce background screening program.
1. Dispel common fears.
Many employers are not sure what rights they have when it comes to screening vendors, temporary and contractor populations. There is also a fear of co-employment. If your company is “treating” a temporary worker as a full-time employee, will you be considered a co-employer and expose your company to legal liability down the line?
Dispelling these fears can be addressed through education. Research what others in your industry are doing in this area. Perhaps you have a trusted advisor with whom you can consult to understand what other companies in your field are doing to establish successful programs. Many reputable background screening companies have extensive experience in screening contingent workers and some offer solutions designed specifically to meet this need.
2. Identify the program owner.
The next step to developing an extended workforce screening program is to identify someone within your organization who will serve as the program owner. This individual will be responsible for developing the overall policy and procedures, and working to ensure continued adherence to it.
In part two, we’ll highlight some key additional steps you can take to implement a new process for screening your extended workforce.
Guest Contributor, Rob Pickell
Rob Pickell is senior vice president of customer solutions for HireRight, a leading provider of on-demand employment screening solutions. HireRight and Kroll are sister companies in the Altegrity, Inc. family.
Tags: employee background screening, extended workforce screening, insider security threat
