Suspected Fake Degree: How Can I Verify and Report This to My Head Office?

I am the HR Manager of a company, and we have an Assistant Manager (AM) who has only completed the 10th grade but has submitted a T.Y BCom mark sheet. I believe it is fake as the enrollment number is missing from the mark sheet. How can I prove this and report the fact to my Head Office? Can anyone help me with this?

Thank you.

This is such a fundamental aspect that does not merit any further discussion. The manipulation of certificates in any form is highly punishable and attracts summary dismissal with or without discussing with university officials. Follow the rules in your HR regarding standard operating procedures.

In the last 8 years, we have conducted and identified such fake documentation in our verification process and verified the validity of the candidates' credentials.

Best of luck.

Regards,
V. Rangarajan.

This email is in response to your questions. I work for a background verification company. Please forward the fake certificate to me so that I can verify its authenticity and get back to you.

Regards,
Sneha
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Just inform the Assistant Manager that the certificate is fake as it lacks a proper registration number. Kindly request him to acquire a certificate with a valid registration number before joining the company.

Regards.

Before jumping the gun, you should be absolutely sure that the certificate is indeed a false one. Please check and recheck with the concerned university about the authenticity of the certificate before acting. In case you do not get any revert from the university, give the benefit of the doubt to the employee.

Please understand that the onus is on you to prove that the certificate is false and not on your employee to prove the authenticity of the certificate. The worst thing you can possibly do is to fire someone based on your assumption and presumption.

Before taking any action, you need to do certain things right:

Considerations Before Action

a) For how long has the AM been employed with you?

b) What is his past, current, and future contribution to the function and the company as a whole?

c) Does he have any unique skill sets required for the job?

d) If so, how easily can you find a replacement with such skill sets or train somebody to be as productive as the current defaulter AM?

e) Most importantly, is this information about his false degree or educational qualifications public, i.e., gossiping in the organization?

If so, then purely to maintain credibility and discipline, you should give the defaulter employee a show-cause notice.

If not, then it is best that you confront him on the issue and apprise him of the consequences of such actions. After that, you should present him with two options:

1) Work on a reduced salary (20-25% cut from current levels) as his educational qualifications do not match the given position's salary bracket.

2) Provide a timeframe to complete a degree program at his own expense and time.

In each situation, you should uphold HR policies and give the defaulter employee the opportunity to correct his mistakes coupled with self-realization. This approach would also give you a time window to search for a suitable replacement if the employee decides to resign due to a pay cut.

This matter needs to be handled skillfully as the selection procedures and standards are direct reflections of the HR department of the organization.

I have handled at least three such cases in my career spanning 35 years in corporates. In all these cases, we followed the process mentioned below:

1. Write a letter to the college and university, attaching the certificate, requesting them to clarify whether the certificate is genuine.

2. We received responses from all universities (two were from Madras University, one was from Delhi University) indicating these certificates were fake.

3. Actually, two were pre-employment checks and one was a post-employment check before confirmation.

4. In a pre-employment situation, there was no problem as we informed the concerned department that the person selected cannot be issued with a letter.

5. In the case of a probationer, we told him that his probation would be terminated. However, he resigned, and we accepted and closed it.

As a process, proper verification and examination must be done before taking a person on board or at least complete verification before confirmation.

If you get proof that the document submitted was fake, summary dismissal is possible, and you can even lodge a criminal complaint against him.

There is no such law regarding limitation. But if you try to take an action of summary dismissal after, say, three or four years of his joining, it may not be correct. Courts may also question the genuineness of your action.

Regards,
T. Sivasankaran

Don't come to a conclusion without studying and verifying the document from the competent authorities. You may take the following steps:

Steps to Verify the Authenticity of a Certificate

(i) Get an undertaking from the said employee that the certificate submitted by him is genuine, and that if it is found to be false or fabricated, legal action will be taken against him. Explain to him the consequences, such as reporting to the police, leveling of charges under IPC 420, blacklisting from seeking a job in any organized sector, etc.

(ii) Simultaneously, write to the concerned University/Examining Body seeking the authenticity of the certificate. Any University registered under the UGC Act is bound to reply to your queries. It is very simple. If you require any assistance, please email me at [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Regards,
Radhakrishnan Pillai