Reference Checks for High-Risk Roles: What Should Employers Verify?

Reference checks for high-risk roles should do more than confirm that a candidate worked for a particular company. Where an employee will control money, access confidential information, operate dangerous equipment or make decisions affecting other people, employers need a verification process that reflects the level of risk attached to the position.

Key Takeaways

• High-risk roles are defined by access, authority and potential harm, not seniority.
• Reference questions should reflect the specific risks of the position.
• Confirm actual duties, decision-making authority and access to sensitive assets or information.
• Ask for evidence of how the candidate handled rules, pressure, mistakes and responsibility.
• Use references alongside independent qualification, licence and background checks.

What Makes a Role High Risk?

A high-risk role is not necessarily the most senior position in the business. The level of risk depends on what the person will be able to access, approve, alter, transport, disclose or override once they are employed.

A payroll administrator may have access to employee bank details and salary information. A forklift driver may be responsible for heavy machinery in a busy warehouse. A systems administrator may be able to access confidential databases or disable security controls. A caregiver may work alone with vulnerable people.

These positions carry very different responsibilities, but each could expose the employer, its employees or its customers to significant harm if the wrong person is appointed.

Roles may require enhanced pre-employment screening when they involve:

• Company money, payroll, procurement or valuable stock.
• Confidential personal, commercial or medical information.
• Administrator access to critical technology systems.
• Dangerous machinery, vehicles or hazardous substances.
• Patients, children, older people or other vulnerable individuals.
• Professional advice, statutory appointments or regulated sign-off.
• Recruitment, disciplinary action or sensitive employee records.
• Contracts, tenders, suppliers and potential conflicts of interest.
• The authority to override financial, safety or operational controls.

The first question should therefore not be, “How senior is this position?” It should be, “What could this employee do if their experience, judgement or integrity is not what it appears to be?”

Why Standard Reference Questions Fall Short

Many reference checks follow the same predictable pattern. The employer confirms the candidate’s dates of employment, asks whether they were reliable and ends by asking whether the referee would employ them again.

These questions may be useful, but they rarely tell the employer enough about a person being considered for a high-risk appointment.

A candidate can be punctual and well liked while still lacking the technical ability required for the role. A positive referee may also have limited knowledge of the candidate’s daily responsibilities. More importantly, the person answering the questions may not be who the employer thinks they are.

Fake references are no longer limited to a friend pretending to be a former manager. HireRight’s 2025 Global Benchmark Report found that one in six surveyed employers had experienced identity fraud during recruitment, while another three in ten were unsure. 

The employer must therefore verify both sides of the conversation:

1. Is the candidate’s employment history genuine?
2. Is the person providing the reference a credible and authorised source?

What Should a High-Risk Reference Check Confirm?

The questions should focus on the risks and responsibilities attached to the position. A strong reference checking process should establish:

The Candidate’s Actual Duties

Job titles can be misleading. Two people with the title of operations manager may have held completely different levels of authority. One may have supervised a small team, while another controlled several sites, large budgets and important client relationships.

Ask the referee what the candidate did personally, what they supervised and what remained outside their authority.

The employer should be able to distinguish between:

• Participating in a project and managing it.
• Preparing a payment and approving it.
• Supporting a system and having unrestricted administrator access.
• Assisting with safety inspections and being legally accountable for them.
• Working in a clinical environment and performing regulated clinical duties.

The Level of Access and Authority

High-risk appointments often depend on how the candidate behaved when they were trusted with power. Ask what the candidate could access or approve without additional permission.

This may include:

• Banking and payment systems.
• Supplier or employee records.
• Confidential databases.
• Medication and patient information.
• Vehicles, keys or access codes.
• Production machinery.
• Contracts and tenders.
• Staff appointments or disciplinary decisions.

A referee who says a candidate was trustworthy should be asked for an example. Evidence of how the person handled a difficult situation is more useful than a general compliment.

Behaviour Around Rules and Controls

Most candidates know the correct answer when asked whether procedures are important. A referee may be able to explain what happened when following the procedure was inconvenient.

Employers should ask:

• Did the candidate respect approval limits?
• Did they report mistakes promptly?
• How did they respond to audit findings?
• Did they escalate safety concerns?
• Were they willing to challenge an inappropriate instruction?
• Did they protect confidential information?
• How did they behave under operational pressure?

These questions provide insight into judgement, accountability and integrity without relying on vague personality descriptions.

Standard Reference Check vs Risk-Based Reference Check

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a high-risk role?

A high-risk role is a position where the employee can significantly affect company finances, confidential information, workplace safety, regulated services, vulnerable people or critical systems.

Can an employer rely on a reference to verify qualifications?

No. A referee may confirm that the candidate performed certain work, but qualifications and professional registrations should be verified through the issuing institution or official register.

Should every candidate receive the same reference check?

Candidates applying for the same position should be assessed consistently. However, the questions used for different roles should reflect the particular risks and responsibilities involved.

Can employers conduct criminal-record checks in South Africa?

Criminal-record checks may be conducted where there is a lawful and legitimate basis. The information must be relevant to the role and should not automatically exclude a candidate without considering the circumstances.

Strengthen Your Candidate Verification Process

A high-risk appointment deserves more than a standard telephone call and a positive character reference. Employers need to know whether the candidate genuinely performed comparable work, what authority they held and how they behaved when trusted with important responsibilities.

MASA can help you source, screen and verify candidates through a structured hiring process tailored to the needs of your business. Visit the MASA website to learn more about our recruitment,  payroll and staffing agency solutions.