It is now over 20 years since I last practised law and so I am a bit rusty. One of the concepts that I still recall from contract law is the "Indoor Management rule." An outsider dealing with a company should be able to make certain assumptions about the regularity of the internal affairs of the company. This provides certainty to people dealing with a company that they cannot just say, "Oh sorry, Donny wasn't authorised to do that."
So too in our network. We expect our trading partners to have high standards and they in turn must take responsibility for those that come under their banner. This does not just include employees, but contractors. More and more recruiters (myself included) are using independent contractors to save on costs, red tape and allow flexibility for both parties.
However members, employees and contractors are all bound by the NPA bylaws. Part of your induction process should be the ethics test and nobody should have access to Matchmaker without understanding their responsibilities. Recently a case came to my attention where a member had a third party contractor work on a role. He shared a confidential job description with the contractor, who then forwarded it to a competitor recruiter at a big agency (with whom he has a personal relationship). Thankfully, no fees were compromised and the NPA member rightly terminated his relationship with the contractor. But it is a reminder to be vigilant and make sure all those who come under your banner follow the rules, regardless of their status as employees or contractors.
Happy splitting.