Handling False Information in Background Checks: How Should I Respond to Verification Requests?

I would like to receive a few samples on how to respond to a verification team or consultant when one of my former employees has provided false information regarding salary and the reason for leaving. Additionally, this ex-employee was nearly terminated due to behavioral issues.

Thank you in advance for your valuable information.

Regards,
Flora

If an employee has mentioned a different reason for leaving in their resignation letter and is giving another reason in their next employment, it should not be treated as a discrepancy or behavioral issue. Generally, people do not provide the exact reason for leaving at the time of their resignation. However, presenting fake salary slips or salary data does constitute a discrepancy. Therefore, you may respond to the BV consultant with the exact CTC of your former employee if revealing salary information aligns with your company norms. Some company representatives choose not to disclose the salary of their ex-employees and mark it as confidential.

Regarding Your Second Point

There is no such thing as "almost terminated." It is either "terminated" or "resigned." If your former employee was asked to resign or resigned voluntarily, do not use the word "terminated" when communicating with the BV consultant. You can address any behavioral issues in the 'additional comment' section, but exercise caution and provide precise information, as someone's employment status hinges on your feedback. Lastly, I would like to emphasize the use of professional language when responding to the background verification.

Regards,
Ashutosh

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I understand that the reason for resignation and the reason provided to the next employer are not always the same. However, the "reason for leaving" given as "company closed" is not accurate. How should I address this?

Additionally, the employee had recurring issues such as engaging in inappropriate conversations with supervisors, failing to report, and making inappropriate comments about colleagues. These concerns were highlighted in the "additional comments" section as "No proper communication & reporting to immediate supervisor." Furthermore, the employee was found to have consumed alcohol during working hours a few days after submitting a resignation notice following a lunch break. Consequently, we requested immediate resignation on the same day. Would this be considered as "terminated" or "resigned"? Considering his career, our management provided him with an experience letter.

I would appreciate your insights on this matter.

Thanks,
Flora

This is quite strange that your ex-employee has mentioned this reason. If a BV consultant has reached out to you and you are replying from your official ID, that makes it clear that the company is not closed. Anyways, in this case, I suggest you put the exact reason for leaving, which was mentioned by your ex-employee in his resignation letter.

If you have asked the employee to resign and he formally submits his resignation, it will be treated as "resigned." There is a point to note: as you mentioned issuing him the experience letter, generally, experience letters contain words like "sincere" and "good moral character." Therefore, if these words are included in the experience certificate, adding contradictory comments as you mentioned would not be advisable, as it may create a discrepancy between the experience certificate issued and your additional inputs.

Regards,
Ashutosh

All the negative things you have narrated are about the said employee's personality, attitude, etc. You have not stated anything about his work performance. Also, you have issued him an Experience Certificate, so I presume he must be good in his work. Though he was wrong in his behaviors, if he was good at work and contributed well to your company, do not write very harshly about him, which may affect his job security. In his work, he will be good at the new place also, and regarding attitude, let the new colleagues experience it themselves. Since he lost his job because of wrongdoings, he may improve. Whatever positive sides he has, try to write more on those, and write little on his wrongdoings, that too in good language. If he is totally a useless character, then ignore the above lines, and the choice is all yours.