Work-related Risk and Integrity Scale (WRISc)
Integrity Screening and Workplace Risk Assessment for Safer Hiring Decisions
At Esterhuizen Consulting & Coaching (ECCSA), we help organisations reduce hiring risk and prevent costly people issues by identifying integrity and risk indicators early in the selection process. The Work-related Risk and Integrity Scale (WRISc) is a personality-based integrity assessment designed to flag an individual’s propensity for risk-taking behaviour and the relative likelihood of counterproductive work behaviour (CWB).
WRISc supports better hiring outcomes by helping HR and leadership teams proactively detect high-risk behavioural tendencies before they escalate into misconduct, conflict, theft, safety incidents, rule-breaking, or reputational harm.
What is WRISc?
The assessment is a covert, personality-based integrity measure developed to minimise a range of negative behaviours that can cause harm to an organisation or individuals within an organisation. It is grounded in psychological theory and research relating to counterproductive work behaviour, integrity testing, criminal risk, and normal risk-taking.
In simple terms, WRISc provides insight into a person’s propensity to engage in counterproductive work and risk-taking behaviours.
What WRISc Measures
The assessment includes 12 scales, each linked to workplace risk patterns.
- Aggression (difficulty managing internal anger)
- Callous Affect (uncaring, indifferent towards others)
- Cynicism (belief that others are insincere)
- Egotism (inflated sense of self)
- External Locus of Control (belief that outcomes are controlled by external factors)
- Impulsivity (behaviour influenced by impulses)
- Low Effortful Control (careless, ill-disciplined effort toward goals)
- Manipulation (disingenuous practices)
- Negative Affect (tendency toward guilt, anxiety, negative emotion)
- Pessimism (negative outlook on life)
- Risk-Taking Behaviours (seeking intense sensations and experiences)
- Rule-Defiance (willingness to break rules or challenge authority)
Where WRISc Fits in Talent Decisions
It can be used to predict counterproductive work behaviours, supporting screening, selection, and recruitment decisions.
Common use cases include:
- High-trust roles (cash handling, procurement, sensitive data, security, logistics)
- Safety-critical environments (mining, transport, manufacturing, heavy industry)
- Leadership roles where culture risk is high
- Reducing “bad hire” risk and preventing toxic behaviour patterns
Assessment Process and Practical Details
From the product information:
- Age range: 18 years and older
- Administration time: ± 30 minutes
- Norms: South African norms
- Language: English
How ECCSA Uses WRISc in Practice
The assessment is integrated into our Talent Management Services to reduce hiring risk and protect organisational culture by identifying integrity and workplace risk indicators early in selection and promotion decisions.
ECCSA uses it as part of an integrated, defensible selection process, typically alongside:
- Structured competency interviews
- Reference checks and background verification
- Role requirements and job profiling
- Additional psychometric tools where appropriate (personality, cognition, values, derailers)
We help you translate the risk indicators into practical hiring recommendations aligned to:
- The role’s risk exposure
- The organisation’s culture and controls
- The candidate’s overall assessment results
Book a WRISc Assessment
If you want to reduce hiring risk, prevent costly misconduct, and strengthen culture fit decisions, ECCSA can support you with risk screening and interpretation.
Contact ECCSA to:
- Screen candidates for integrity and workplace risk
- Add a workplace risk assessment to your selection battery for high-risk roles
- Build a safer, more reliable hiring process