Appoint Assets, not Weakness

“People are assets, but can also be a weakness”

          (Quotation from the New Zealand Protective Security Requirements – NZPSR). 

One of the tenets of the NZPSR is that most risks, other than natural disasters, are acts of human behaviour. Insider risk, i.e. those that harm the organisation from the inside, be it exploitation, illegitimate access to assets, industrial sabotage, fraud, theft, physical or psychological harm to others, is probably the most prevalent risk faced by any organisation. 

Employers are advised to screen prospective employees before appointment. However, studies have found that most people have no intention to harm when appointed. Those who eventually display unacceptable behaviour may become lax or go ‘bad’ after appointment (to quote NZPSR). This would normally occur within five years from appointment. If the offending person occupies a middle or more senior position in your organisation the consequences can be severe, and difficult to manage. To identify potential risk requires a sophisticated and informed approach.

      – personality traits,

      – lifestyle/circumstantial vulnerabilities, and

      – workplace behaviours.

The last two may receive some cursory attention during a conventional recruitment/screening process. Personality traits, being the most important, are not regularly assessed in the normal course of events.

• ExecuConsult assists employers with the assessment of candidates for employment by applying objective and scientifically sound assessment instruments.  This will enable employers to appoint the best available talent to realise the vision and mission of their businesses.

Contact ExecuConsult for more information about all Integ assessments available to ensure that you appoint the right person.

‘Hire character. Train skill.’ – Peter Schutz, Porsche

Author: J H van Rooyen Execuconsult 05/2023