EXPERT VIEW: Who are you hiring and acquiring? People risks in pharma

The pharmaceutical industry faces a number of unique challenges when recruiting staff. Unlike in many other sectors, when things go wrong, there is not just a risk to a company’s finances and reputation but also to public health. It’s vital to get it right, writes Steve Girdler, managing director EMEA at HireRight, the candidate due diligence company.

During HireRight’s recent study,  The Untouchables: Protecting Your Organization from Leadership Risk, we spoke to HR directors in a number of different industries and found that almost all (94%)* of those working in the pharmaceutical sector believe that their greatest threat comes from factors outside the organization – not from employees. This is understandable when you consider, for example, that the sector has been a target for animal rights activists for decades.

In the wake of a number of high-profile reputational scandals, the business world is coming to terms with the need to ensure that everyone at every level of a company is exactly who they say they are and have the required skills and experience. In the heavily-regulated financial services sector, such scandals have shone a very bright light on the effect one individual’s actions can have. As a result, in many cases, companies have adapted their processes and ensured that due diligence is carried out on employees and leaders before they start and throughout their tenure.