Navigating Promotion Eligibility Amid Document Falsification and Employee Misconduct

Dear Friends,

I would like to have your opinion on an important issue regarding the promotion of an employee in an executive category who has joined an organization by submitting forged documents from his previous employers. It has been proven that those documents are forged. Is he eligible for a promotion in his current employment?

Submitting forged documents is considered an offense, equivalent to entering a foreign country with a fake passport or visa. Legal action will be taken if found guilty, in accordance with the law. This act carries serious consequences.

If this employee is promoted to the next level, his act of forgery may be overlooked. I seek your professional opinion on this matter.

Thanks and regards,

Dear Prabhakar,

Far from awarding a promotion to an employee who had falsified the documents at the time of joining, you should have asked whether he is eligible to continue his employment in your company.

Falsification of documents is "misconduct" under the provisions of the Standing Orders Act. Therefore, order a domestic enquiry immediately and initiate disciplinary action if the misconduct is proved. Generally, such employees are terminated. Nevertheless, what kind of punishment is to be awarded is your management's call.

Forgery speaks about the mindset of the employee. One who can forge the document to get the employment can very well do forgery in his job also. Therefore, allowing such a person to continue is risky. Of course, my argument is a priori but this is the general line of argument.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar