New Trainee Can't Submit Certificates Due to Delay: How Should I Handle This Situation?

Dear Friends,

In our company, one person has joined as a trainee. He joined two months ago, but he still hasn't submitted his certificates. I asked him to submit them by June 26, 2010. He mentioned that he is unable to obtain his certificates from his previous company as his Managing Director is currently out of the station, causing a delay. What should I do now? Please suggest a course of action.

Thank you.

Dear Ravi,

Please ask him to provide the acknowledgment copy for the certificate submission at the previous company.

Xerox copies can be taken but not as a record unless they are checked with the original. If the original is not submitted, his qualification can be maintained as per the latest original certificates seen and not as what he has given in the CV at the time of joining. The trainee period may be extended as needed.

What do you mean by "certificate"? Are you referring to his educational certificate or documents from his previous employer, such as a relieving letter or experience letter? It is important to clearly communicate the requirement to submit the necessary documents within the specified timeframe. Additionally, emphasize the urgency to his immediate reporting authority.

Regards,
Saurabh

Firstly, inform your immediate boss or HOD about this. After consulting your boss, you can inform the trainee to submit the documents within 5 days, or he will have to leave the job or be terminated. You may give him the option of rejoining your services whenever he can produce the documents.

Also, consider another aspect in this case. It appears that the concerned trainee has not been formally relieved by his previous employer, which is why he has not retrieved his documents. However, I do not condone the practice of employers retaining original documents. It is illegal, unethical, and unprofessional.

Dear Friends,

In our company, one person has joined as a trainee two months ago. However, he has not submitted his certificates yet. I asked him to submit them by June 26, 2010. He mentioned that he is unable to get his certificates from his previous company as his Managing Director is out of town, causing a delay. What should I do now? Please suggest.

Hello Mr./Ms. Earlystar,

First, you need to inquire about his past employment because if he is not submitting his certificate, it seems like there may be some fraud or something suspicious going on. There is something fishy about it.

Hi,

Please let me know what basic documents your organization is expecting from an employee at the time of interview or joining.

If the employee fails to produce the documentary evidence of being relieved from their previous employer and also fails to produce academic certificates, please escalate the issue to your Department Head (DH) and the Head of Department (HOD) of the concerned department where the trainee is working to take appropriate action. This is important as the information provided may be false, given that it is two months old.

Regards,
LK

Well, I would like to suggest that you simply discuss the issue with the HOD and inform him verbally that if he does not submit his documents within the prescribed timeline (say 5 days), his salary would be withheld.

For the future, I propose creating a Hiring Policy. Ensure that the employee presents their original documents for verification to HR along with photocopies for the personnel file after receiving the offer letter but before the appointment letter is issued. This process will save time by avoiding the need to repeatedly request document submissions from employees. Remember, HR has varied responsibilities beyond this task. All the best.

Hi,

My experience indicates that the candidate is a fraud as he has provided incorrect information on his CV. If he is a performer in your organization and can help your company grow, please send him an email in consultation with your senior stating that he would not be eligible for confirmation of services and any increments associated with his confirmation if he does not produce the certificates. This way, you put the ball in his court.

Alternatively, you can ask him to take his own time to obtain the required documents in order to be eligible for any paid leaves.

Dear Buddy,

Please give him time for one week and ask him to submit the documents on a particular date. Otherwise, talk to him and ask for resignation. Before that, you must consult your seniors. In between, cross-check with the previous employer and the academic institutions.

Thanks,
Deb

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your valuable replies. I informed the person to submit the document on or before the 3rd of July 2010. The reason he has not yet submitted his certificates is that his director is busy with his projects and unable to provide them at the time of relieving. They are still in the process of extending the documents.

Hey Earlystar,

Ok, but please let me know whether you have inquired about his past employment or not.

Hi Anil,

Yes, I got his MD number. I made a call, but the number doesn't exist. I informed that person regarding this. He said he would cross-check the number and update me.

You can try issuing a warning to the person, and if that does not work, you can issue a show-cause notice. Be careful not to involve yourself too much - let HR do the job of informing him of his responsibilities and consequences of non-compliance.

Hi Earlystar,

I assume you have tried to reach his boss directly, but I would suggest you call the main line number of his employer and inquire about his boss's whereabouts. As we all know, the contact numbers employees provide as references can sometimes be inaccurate. Since you mentioned that his boss's number does not exist, my suspicion may be correct. Therefore, contact the main line and speak directly with HR about this employee. You can also gather more information about his past employment, which will provide you with a clearer understanding of this employee.

I don't believe it would be appropriate to issue a warning to the employee because he may be correct that his boss is on a work-related trip. If you are not the HR person in your current organization, then I agree with A123874 that you should not take matters into your own hands and should allow the HR department to handle it. It is part of HR procedures to investigate a candidate's past employment or request a Relieving Certificate.

Thank you.

Hello,

Be positive. We have jumped to the conclusion that he is a fraud; that's why HR people are not respected. First of all, you should obtain an undertaking from him stating that his previous employer has retained the original certificates. In addition to educational certificates, he must have a relieving letter, a full and final settlement statement, an experience certificate, etc. Check with his previous employer (he may not provide accurate information, so it is your responsibility to judge whether it is correct or not). You can verify his credentials in many ways.

In the undertaking, mention that if he does not submit the certificates within a specific time frame, his training period will be terminated, and the full training cost from the date of joining, including any stipend paid, will be recovered from him. If he does not provide the undertaking, then quietly start looking for a replacement, as this would indicate that it was a wrong selection from the start.

Two months is more than enough time to submit documents for joining, and there is no need to give more time. The trainee needs to be terminated since he is unable to provide proof of his qualifications and experience as mentioned in his job application.

The Managing Director (MD) is currently unavailable as he is out of the station, busy with a project, and it seems that all the information provided may be false. Why would the MD be involved in such trivial matters? Even if we consider this to be a small setup where the MD is involved, the decision on whether to part with the documents or not should not take such a long time. It seems like the trainee is taking advantage of the present employer, and he should be let go.

There is a lapse on the employer's part as they should not allow a new employee to join unless all necessary documents are submitted.

No problem, you can ask the employee to give a date (deadline) by when he can submit. Then, wait until that time. If he delays further, inform him that his salary will be on hold until he submits. Before taking any action, inform your immediate boss and seek his input.

Thanks,
Lakshmi