Caught a New Hire with a Fake Degree: How Should We Handle This Situation?

Hi everyone, we have recruited a guy in our company and found that he edited his B.Tech marks sheet to fulfill the criteria. We also found out that not only he but his elder brother and sister are also working in MNCs by producing fake documents.

Advice Needed on Handling Fake Documents

Please advise on what actions we should take in this situation.

Addressing Forged Documents in Employment

The solution to this situation looks straight into the eyes! Firing for forging documents is what you must do. However, I request you to do it with a difference. How would you want to be taught a lesson if you had to forge to get a job?

Regards

If you are in the software industry, you can report the matter to NASSCOM. The NASSCOM skill registry is designed to ensure that such people do not get jobs.

I think the company in question must have its own policy to deal with the situation because these are risks well known and validated at the pre-screening stage itself.

Anyway, I would suggest issuing a memo and confirming the same from the employee with a show-cause notice as to why the services should not be terminated in the case of forged credentials. The reply should be provided by the employee within seven days, failing which the services will be deemed assumed as terminated in order to give more integrated, meritorious prospective employees.

Taking from the suggestions/remarks of other members, can you provide the data on the editing he did—meaning how many marks did he add to meet your criteria? I can see a few options:

1] Fire him without hesitation—the usual tendency of going by the Rule Book.

2] If the faking/editing isn't very high [I know this word 'high' can be subjective], suggest holding an extended technical session to ensure he may deserve a lenient approach to be dealt with. If, like Animeshtiwari suggested, he is found to be really good technically, maybe you can consider hiring him based on his actual marks sheet...but with some sort of 'hit' [like lower salary, extended probation, etc.] to ensure he doesn't take advantage of this leniency later on. I guess this was the scenario that (Cite Contribution) possibly had in mind when she suggested, "How would you want to be taught a lesson if you had to forge to get a job?"

3] Fire him & Report to NASSCOM—like Saswata Banerjee suggested. Prima facie, this looks right—but again works like the Option (1) mentioned above...going by the Rule Book...without taking an empathetic view of the situation.

4] In the event his fudging is for marks way beyond what he actually scored, fire him straight AND then it's for you to figure out how in the first place he was hired. It's not realistic for someone with very low academic scores to rate high in job interviews...at least it's very tough [unless unfair means are adopted].

Which option appeals to you depends on your company's overall perspectives & priorities.

Regards,
TS

Hi everyone, thanks for your suggestions; they are appreciated. We have had 58%. What he did was edit the marks with a pencil and then laminate the scorecard so that no one would doubt it. We had a word with the associate; later, we found out his sister asked him to do the same.

Satheesh has pointed out exactly what I wanted to say. It's sad that we are the reason why such fraud cases happen. Our overemphasis on 'Credentials' and not on 'Competencies' pushes candidates to fabricate certificates.

There is no guarantee that a student who scored 70% will work better than a student who scored 50%! Acumen is not completely measured through academic exams, let alone delivery.

You will need a candidate who can deliver the projects on time. Someone who hasn't scored enough will obviously push himself harder as he stands on quicksand. This candidate in question has already cleared the interview rounds. If you still have doubts about his credibility, please try what Animesh Tiwari has suggested. Hire someone for potential and not the scores!

You always have the option to punish him. But make sure you don't punish him for something that you can easily turn around. Disciplining him would be easy now, as he has already made a grave mistake. Moreover, he is least likely to be an attrite as every other employer would reject him for his scores. You actually have the option to win the loyalty of a potential employee if you manage to deal with this situation differently!

The choice is yours! Wish you all the best.

As many have pointed out, there is no REVERSE GEAR in TIME to set things right. Whether the person has to be reprimanded and retained or sent home. Now, the point in question, according to me, is Integrity as a value. I think it was our former President, Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who said, "IF INTEGRITY IS THERE, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. IF INTEGRITY IS NOT THERE, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS." This may sound like a riddle at first, but upon re-reading it, the subtle change in the sentence shows a major difference. If I need to stress the obvious, INTEGRITY is such a powerful virtue that other values become less important, as explained by the first sentence. The second sentence implies that if INTEGRITY is absent, nothing else can compensate for it. What is the guarantee that he would not attempt similar actions while dealing with company matters tomorrow? How does your company value INTEGRITY?

Regards,
V. Raghunathan

Today, he might have committed forgery to attain qualifications. Tomorrow, he could be encouraged to engage in larger-scale forgeries, putting higher-level bosses at risk. There is no shortage of competent individuals in the job market. A person recruited with forged certificates is considered to have committed a crime, rendering their appointment invalid. Following the proper procedure, issue a show cause notice to provide an opportunity for the individual to explain the forged mark sheet. Based on their response, appropriate action should be taken. If they deny the accusation, obtain a certified copy of the mark sheet from the relevant university to make an informed decision. Setting an example through this process is crucial; failing to do so may lead to a decrease in morale among other employees.

Thanks,

Sushil