The benefits of prework and/or post offer job screening to a business is plentiful. Creating a robust work force, minimizing overuse injury, eliminating time away from work, and lessening the need to constantly be training new workers are just a few. The bottom line benefit is improved productivity and financial stability for the business. In fact, one study found there was a savings of $18 per every dollar spent on a program. (Littleton, 2003) The following tips have helped me navigate the world of prework/post offer screen.
1. Find an employer who is seeking out a solution to rising Workman’s Compensation costs and OSHA recordable injuries. In my experience, not all employers are able/willing to appreciate long term savings over short term profitability. The employer has to be prepared for upfront costs including job demands analysis reviews, materials for testing, and of course the cost of tests. They also have to be prepared to be patient for results. It may be several months to 1-2 years before they start seeing a benefit to the testing. You have to prepare them for this before they decide to invest in your services.
2. Help the employer decide on whether they should choose to have you do prework or post offer screening. There are pros and cons to each, but they will need to understand the differences and decide what works best for their business. Understanding the prework screen MAY NOT include medical questions or evaluations is a key that needs to be understood. Understanding the prework screen can be completed prior to an offer, but a post offer screen is not completed until an offer has been given, is also an important consideration.
3. Design a thorough Job Demands Analysis. The JDA is the cornerstone to developing an appropriate test whether it is a prework or post offer screen. This may require some education for the employer. They will need to provide you access to the work area and the employees who do the work. Some organizations will have proprietary concerns and won’t want certain photos taken. You will have to be flexible. You may have to work around employee schedules, blur images of certain equipment or spaces, etc.
4. Develop a study to make sure everything you measured and the test you have developed mirrors as closely as possible the work that is getting done in the business. Next, there will need to be a validation study. Again, the employer will need to make employees available to ensure you can measure the validity. You will also need to work with the employer to develop a review schedule. Finally, it will be important to monitor the work environment to make sure components of the test haven’t been altered on the work floor.
5. Customer Service is Key. Remember, Thing are always changing in the business world, and change should be good. The HR department of your customer may get a request for new employees with only a few days or hours of warning. It will be vital to be ready for that call and have staff willing to step in and get the testing completed. The customer may need you to be prepared to justify the test to other members of the organization. Be sure to stay up on the latest ADA and EEOC changes.
There will be many challenges to adding post offer or prework screens to your organization’s service offerings. You will need to be creative, patient, and prompt. Many times, you will need to be all of these things at the same time. If you can pull this off, it will provide you with an additional revenue stream, but at the same time help your customers be the strongest version of themselves
Littleton, M. Cost-effectiveness of a prework screening program for the University of Illinois at Chicago Physical Plant. Work 21, 2003 pg 243-250
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