The Importance of Making Pre-Employment Medicals Part of Your Recruitment Process
Posted on: 24 January 2017
No employer wants to be held liable for pre-existing injuries or conditions when they are hiring someone to fill up a vacancy in their company or business. But that possibility can never be ruled out completely.
Pre-employment medical examinations or assessments play a critical role in the recruitment process. These medicals are usually carried out on candidates shortlisted for a job, at any of the employer-recommended medical facilities, to reveal any health problems that may hamper an individual's ability to safely and competently do the job they had applied for. Usually, the medicals are specifically tailored according to the specific demands of the job the person will be performing.
If you currently have not incorporated pre-employment medicals into your recruitment process, it is about time you did. Here's why.
Reduce the constant worry of going to court
As an employer, you do not want to be constantly in and out of the courtroom defending your company against claims of work-related injuries brought forward by your employees. Legal battles can take a negative toll on your psychological health, since it can lead to reputational damage and also affect your bottom line adversely. Imagine juggling between making court appearances and focusing on how you can save your business from going down – stressful, isn't it? By having pre-employment medicals undertaken, you can minimise the stress that comes with having so many Worker Compensation claims being taken to court.
Minimise the financial burden of compensating workers
Dealing with worker compensation claims can be financially-burdening in two major ways: first, you will need to handsomely pay for the services of the lawyer you will hire; and secondly, you may incur a huge worker compensation bill if you lose the case. Pre-employment medicals are an effective way to cushion yourself against the financial burden of paying hefty payouts to compensate employees whose injuries might have been sustained before their employment.
Get a highly productive workforce
As mentioned earlier, pre-employment medicals may help disclose medical issues that can prevent a candidate from carrying out their responsibilities as per the job description. Those that pass the medicals will be given a clean bill of health, meaning you will be able to choose the best from the best suited candidates for the job. As a result, your workforce will be highly productive, and cases of employee absenteeism from work due to poor health will be minimal.
Hopefully, you have seen the importance of including pre-employment medicals in your employment process. If you are going to have them undertaken, make sure everything is done within the confines of the law.
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