Checking online posts can prevent costly hiring mistakes, writes David Purcell
The insider threat is one of the hardest to counter as it comes from your own staff, but it is also one of the most significant risks to organisations as employees have information on company practices, client data, computer systems and security.
Fortunately, the growth of social media has added a new weapon to HR’s armoury for companies looking to shield themselves from insider fraud.
The information people freely share and publish on social media often comes together to form a comprehensive picture of personality, habits, background and behaviour – all of which can be used to make informed choices about who to hire and who to fire.
Investigating candidates’ social media activity allows HR teams to profile individuals and identify any concerning tendencies or patterns of behaviour, preventing expensive hiring mistakes, and, over time, minimising the risk of the insider threat. Existing employees’ social media activity can be equally telling and may offer up evidence that can be used in legal proceedings where fraud has been discovered.
There are a few simple steps that HR professionals can take to use social media to reduce the insider threat. The first is doing a ‘light touch’ screening of candidates, to verify answers given at interview and to highlight anything that may cause problems later, such as racist or sexist posts and memberships of groups the company would not wish to be associated with.
HR teams can also use social media searches to investigate staff on long-term sick leave where the circumstances appear suspicious. Similarly, investigations may prove useful in identifying potential fraud arising from employees exaggerating the extent of injuries or embellishing the details of accidents in the workplace.
Doing social media sweeps when issues arise can produce solid evidence, helping to reduce financial and reputational damage to companies. Such investigations can be carried out internally by HR itself, or by appointment an independent company that can offer impartial assistance. Where evidence of fraud or misconduct is uncovered, organisations can use it as evidence in court because it has been obtained legally via open-source channels.
Ultimately, social media is a useful tool to help HR professionals combat the insider threat, but traditional methods – such as talking to employees and finding out about their lives outside work, and taking care of them if they are going through tough times – remain the most effective.
David Purcell is co-founder of Netwatch Global, a desktop investigations company