6.4 Pre- and Post-Offer Activities: Conditional Offers, Medical Exams, Relocation & Immigration

Pre- and Post-Offer Activities: Conditional Offers, Medical Exams, Relocation & Immigration

Quick Answer: Pre-offer activities help choose the right candidate: screening, interviews, tests, and often reference checks. Post-offer activities turn the chosen candidate into a lawful, ready-to-start employee: accepting a conditional offer, completing background checks and any job-related medical examination, verifying work authorization, signing the employment agreement, collecting payroll and benefits data, and arranging relocation or immigration where needed. HR coordinates the sequence, keeps sensitive information confidential, and treats every candidate consistently.

The aPHRi outline names pre- and post-offer activities (for example, background checks and medical exams), and two tasks describe the work: coordinate the employment offer (start date, salary, benefits) and administer post-offer employment activities (execute employment agreements, work authorization, coordinate relocation, immigration). Section 6.3 explains how to run background and reference checks; this section explains where they fit and what else must happen before day one.

1. Pre-Offer vs. Post-Offer: Why the Order Matters

Many organizations place medical assessments after a conditional offer, so that health information is not used to screen out otherwise qualified candidates and the decision to hire is made first on job-related merit. Some laws require this order; where they do not, it is still good practice.

2. The Conditional Offer

A conditional offer clearly lists the conditions that must be met, for example:

• Satisfactory verification of qualifications and employment history.
• A satisfactory criminal-record check, only where lawful and relevant to the role.
• A fitness-for-work assessment where the job has genuine health or safety requirements.
• Proof of the right to work in the country (Section 5.3).
• Required licenses or registrations (for example, a professional license or driving license for a driving role).

Good practice:

1. State the conditions and the expected timeline in writing.
2. Apply the same conditions to everyone offered the same role.
3. Tell the candidate what will be checked and how their information will be protected.
4. If a condition is not met, give the candidate a chance to explain or correct errors before withdrawing the offer, and document the reason.

3. Pre-Employment Medical Examinations

When they are appropriate

A medical assessment should be tied to the inherent requirements of the job, such as:

• Safety-critical work (driving, operating heavy machinery, working at heights).
• Work with specific exposures (noise, chemicals, radiation) where a baseline is needed.
• Jobs where a law or license requires a medical, such as some transport roles.
• Night work: the ILO Night Work Convention, 1990 (No. 171), gives night workers the right to a free health assessment before taking up night work and at regular intervals.

Principles to follow

• Job-relatedness: assess only what matters for the specific job.
• Qualified professionals: occupational health doctors or nurses, often part of occupational health services such as those described in the ILO Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161), perform the assessment.
• Confidentiality: the employer normally receives a fitness conclusion - fit, fit with adjustments, temporarily unfit, or unfit for the specific job - not the diagnosis or medical history. Medical records are kept separately from the personnel file (Section 3.5).
• Reasonable adjustments: if a candidate is fit with adjustments, consider workplace changes before concluding the person cannot do the job.
• No HIV screening: the ILO HIV and AIDS Recommendation, 2010 (No. 200), states that HIV testing should not be required of workers, including migrant workers, job seekers, and job applicants.
• Privacy law: under GDPR-style laws, health data is a special category that may be processed only on specific legal grounds with strong safeguards.

Drug and alcohol testing follows similar rules and is covered in Section 8.4: many countries restrict it to safety-critical roles and require clear policies.

4. Coordinating the Employment Offer

The outline's task "coordinate the employment offer" includes:

• Confirming the approved salary within the pay range and any allowances.
• Agreeing the start date, considering the candidate's notice period and any conditions still pending.
• Explaining benefits and eligibility dates.
• Preparing the offer letter for approval and signature, then tracking acceptance.
• Keeping communication consistent and prompt, because delays are a common reason candidates accept other offers.

5. Post-Offer Administration

Relocation

Relocation support can be managed (the employer books and pays vendors) or a lump sum (the employee receives a fixed amount and arranges the move). Written relocation agreements often include a repayment clause if the employee leaves within a set period; such clauses must comply with local law, including wage-deduction rules. Tax treatment of relocation benefits varies by country, so payroll should be informed.

Immigration

For sponsored hires, the start date depends on approval. HR coordinates document collection, submission deadlines, and any dependant applications, and records permit expiry dates for follow-up. The employee must not start work before permission is granted where the law requires prior approval.

6. Withdrawing an Offer

An offer should be withdrawn only when a stated condition is not met or a genuine, documented business reason exists, and only after legal review where required. Withdrawing an offer because of a protected characteristic (such as pregnancy, disability, or national origin) is discriminatory. Always record the reason and keep communication factual.