SANParks takes steps to make worker polygraph testing obligatory

Easing into its Polygraph Testing Coverage applied in November 2022, SANParks will likely be introducing a brand new Normal Working Process (SOP).

SANParks’ Normal Supervisor: Media and Stakeholder Relations, Rey Thakhuli stated that the SANParks Board permitted and signed into impact the Polygraph Testing Coverage. This can play a job in ‘stopping employees involvement in criminality, equivalent to rhino poaching.’

Thakhuli said that ‘the coverage was developed after intensive session with related consultants’ to make sure that no worker rights could be compromised.’

South Africa’s Labour Regulation and SANParks Situations of Service don’t enable for obligatory polygraph testing, however SANParks hopes to make it obligatory for a number of job classes sooner or later. They hope that this new coverage will ‘outcome within the modification of the Situations of Service, in addition to the inclusion of obligatory polygraph testing as a part of new employment contracts.’

It would additionally take some time for current worker contracts to be amended except staff select to have their contracts modified voluntarily.

Step one to reaching their purpose is by implementing the SOP, the place staff can volunteer to take a polygraph take a look at. ‘This will likely be performed to handle dangers with out compromising staff’ rights and leading to victimisation.’

Though polygraph testing received’t utterly eradicate criminality amongst SANParks staff, a pilot examine that was performed a couple of years in the past confirmed the next advantages:

‘For many of our rangers which can be sincere and dedicated to the safety of rhino, it gives a possibility to exhibit that they’re reliable – this is a crucial crucial for staff cohesion and constitutes optimistic strain to all of the cores.
The instrument can also be one of many many initiatives that SANParks makes use of to discourage staff from taking part in legal exercise.
A sign of potential deception in a outcome, while it can’t be utilised to provoke disciplinary motion, utilised with different instruments, equivalent to investigations, inform legal and disciplinary procedures.’

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