Conflict of interest forms and workflows

Business Process

The goal of this feature is to streamline the process of managing conflict of interest declarations for recruitment panels. By implementing a digital COI form and workflow, we ensure transparency, accountability, and compliance in the recruitment process. The form would allow each panel member to declare any conflicts (or confirm they have none) at the outset of recruitment, creating a consistent, auditable record.

Users Who Will Benefit

The primary users who would benefit from this feature are:

1. Recruitment Panel Members: Ensures that they can easily declare conflicts of interest at the start of a recruitment process during shortlisting, aligning with transparency requirements.

2. Hiring Managers: Helps hiring managers ensure compliance and reduces any perceived or actual conflicts that may influence recruitment outcomes.

3. HR Administrators and Governance Compliance Officers: Enables easy monitoring, tracking, and reporting of COI compliance, particularly useful in sectors like local government where transparency and impartiality are critical.

4. Audit and Compliance Teams: Simplifies auditing and allows quick access to declarations to ensure that all panel members have completed the COI process, reducing compliance risks.

Workflow and Use Case

Use Case:
The recruitment process involves a COI declaration step at the beginning of the of shortlisting. Each panel member must complete a COI form indicating either the presence or absence of a conflict. If a conflict is declared, the form would automatically trigger the necessary steps to escalate or manage the conflict according to the organisation’s policies.

Proposed Workflow:

1. Trigger: Once a recruitment panel is assembled, a notification is sent to all panel members to complete the COI form before the recruitment process proceeds.

2. Form Completion:

   • Option A - No Conflict Declared: If a panel member declares no conflict, the form is simply recorded, and their participation is confirmed.

   • Option B - Conflict Declared: If a conflict is declared, the workflow automatically flags the response for HR or compliance review.

3. Review Process: For any declared conflicts, HR or compliance team members are notified to review the specifics of the conflict. Based on the severity or type of conflict, further action may be required, such as:

   • Removing the conflicted member from the panel,

   • Adding notes to the recruitment file for audit purposes,

   • Replacing the panel member, if needed.

4. Final Approval: Once all forms are completed and any conflicts addressed, the recruitment process can proceed.

Benefits of the Workflow:

• Efficiency: Reduces manual steps for HR and ensures that all required declarations are obtained consistently.

• Transparency: Creates a clear, auditable record of each panel member’s COI status.

• Compliance: Ensures compliance with organizational policies by automating review steps and escalation processes.

• Reduced Risk: Helps identify and mitigate conflicts before they can impact hiring decisions, protecting the organization’s integrity.

we would look to add this as a tab on the job card itself like documents or Notes

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