Understanding the Importance of Pre-Employment Screening
If you are a business owner or you work in the recruitment process of a company then you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the importance of employment screening. There are many things that a screening goes through, however, one vital part of the pre-employment screening process is the medical assessments. These are a tool used to work out the risks that an individual may cause, and these risk factors may limit how well they do their job and how safely they do it too. Sometimes people can feel uncomfortable at the idea of medical screening, however, it can save companies thousands of dollars. If you need more information on pre-employment screening then you have come to the right place, as this post will go through the benefits and importance of the screening process.
A Safer Working Environment
Health and safety are vital for any workplace, and that is why screening is so widely conducted. If you want to ensure the safety of your staff then enforcing pre employment medical checks needs to be something that happens in your company. If an individual is not fit to work a particular job, and they do it anyway, this could come with severe consequences. Especially if this job is in the construction industry because handling heavy machinery can lead to catastrophic results.
Reduction In Workplace Injuries
Pre-employment screening contributes to a significant reduction in workplace injuries. This is because it makes sure that everybody is job fit and ready. Sometimes, when individuals are hired and they are not in full health, this can be dangerous for both the individual and their colleagues. Sometimes injuries can happen as a result of the smallest of accidents, for example, if someone faints (due to a health condition), this person could fall into someone else and that colleague could fall and break a bone, hit their head or endure lacerations to the body. It seems like an extreme link, but it happens far more than you might expect. Consequently, by ruling out anyone who may pose a threat, you will see a drop in injuries and this benefits your staff, your business, reputation and insurance costs.
Reduction In Claims And Insurance Costs
Following on from the previous point, the fewer accidents you have in the workplace the better this will be regarding insurance expenses. Less workplace injury insurance claims will reduce the rate that your insurance charges you. So not only do your staff benefit from being able to work in a safe working environment, but as a business owner, you also get peace of mind from having to incur avoidable financial expenses.
Improved Performance
Research has shown that pre-employment medical screening has a profound impact on productivity and efficiency. Essentially, your staff are better able to do their jobs in an environment that is safe as they can focus on the work as opposed to focusing on other anxieties regarding health and safety. So if you can reduce your staff’s external concerns, then this will do wonders for optimising company productivity. Obviously, there will be a lot of factors that are way out of your control but aim to focus on the things that you can change and take it from there.
It Can Prevent Legal Complications
Pre-employment screening can reduce your company’s liability. Not only does it reduce your insurance costs but it also helps to avoid any unnecessary lawsuits. This is because you are only hiring people who can clear a pre-employment screening. Any accidents that happen in your workplace, whether it is a random person or an employee can cause huge legal implications for your business. As we mentioned, some accidents cannot be avoided, however, there are ones that can and the best way to reduce the chances are to employ those who are job fit. These are the individuals who do not present a risk to themselves and those around them. While it might seem harsh, it is mandatory for specific industries to do because the work is already dangerous enough as it is. A legal battle can be time-consuming, a lot of effort and can cripple businesses financially. So it is worth doing everything you can do to avoid legal complications, and part of that is doing the proper pre-employment medical screening.
Saves Time And Money In The Hiring Process
Another reason why it is so important to do pre-employment screening is that hiring the wrong individual can be frustrating and costly. Making the effort to conduct a screening will help prevent you from hiring someone who could cause more bad than good. The hiring process itself can be a lengthy ordeal, so you don’t want to have to go through it time and time again because you keep hiring the wrong people.
What Are Medical Components Of The Screening?
There are a number of things that a pre-employment medical screening might be checking for. This will also vary from industry to industry, but below we have listed a few examples of common medical checks.
- Height
- Weight
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Cardiovascular assessment (heart check, blood pressure, pulse etc )
- Full musculoskeletal examination, including an assessment on an individual’s range of movement
- Central nervous system assessment
- Examination for abdominal abnormalities
- Checks for hernias
- Diabetes Diagnosis
- Examination for any kidney/bladder related disorders
- Respiratory examination
- Vision assessment, which includes assessing whether you are short-sighted, long-sighted, colour blind etc.
This is not as scary as it might seem at first. It is normal to feel anxious about medical tests, however, these can all be done quickly and easily.
All in all, there is a multitude of benefits that come with pre-employment screening, and while it can seem like an uncomfortable idea at first, the process is there to help both the potential employees, the current employees and the business owners. The screening helps to reduce workplace injuries, it also reduces insurance fees, prevents legal battles and creates a safe and healthy working environment. Each of these factors is essential for a successful business, so do not underestimate the importance and the impact that a pre-employment screening can have.
