How Can We Accurately Verify Employee Age When Documents and Appearance Don't Match?

We have employed a few workmen who are not from our local state. At the time of joining, they had not provided their birth certificates, and they have been on the rolls since then. Later on, as there was doubt about their age, they were asked to provide a school leaving certificate or birth certificate. These employees have provided a school leaving certificate mentioning their date of birth.

If we go by this record, then they are young; however, based on their physical appearance, they look a bit older. Writing to the school authorities has not helped us as we did not receive any reply. Is there any other way we can confirm their age that will be accepted?

Do they have an Aadhar card? PAN card and school leaving certificate can be accepted as proof of age.

Based on the school leaving certificate, they are in their forties; however, with respect to physical appearance, they look as though they are in their fifties (we could be wrong, too...).

Their PAN card and Aadhar Card have the same birthdate, indicating that they must have used the same school leaving certificate for their birth record.

Someone suggested a medical examination. How effective is it, and is it acceptable?

Yes, there are medical methods of determining age. However, this is an untested premise as far as ascertaining the age of employees is concerned. Medical methods, more or less, are employed in criminal investigations and procedures.

Anyhow, the moot question is - why this concern over age? Is it related to the performance of the employee?

Dear Colleague,

This is a non-issue created by your perception of their age. Do you have reason to believe that the DOB certificate produced by them is based on manipulated school records? If not, accept it as true and close this rather than rely on your perception which you yourself accept as 'may be wrong'.

Regards,

Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

Dear Colleague,

It is unclear where the issue lies when the date of birth (DOB) recorded in the workmen register is the same as the school leaving certificate. Has any issue been raised by the workmen regarding the DOB? If not, why continue to question this unnecessarily based on your perception?

If you were to see me in person, you would estimate my age to be around 35 years, although in the next two years, I will be retiring from my job.

One suggestion is to consider obtaining an affidavit regarding the DOB recorded in the Workmen's Register and School Certificate from the workman. This proactive step will help address any potential future requirements and provide a solid foundation for documentation.

Regards,

Understanding Applicable Rules for Date of Birth Verification

First of all, we need to understand what the applicable rules (like Standing Orders) say regarding the verification of the date of birth. If, for instance, it specifies a school certificate, then there is no valid reason to disbelieve it unless you get it physically verified and it is reported to be false. School authorities are generally averse to providing a reply to age-related queries in response to letters, so if you send a representative, it may be worthwhile.

There is a basic difference in the acceptability of school documents or the extract of the birth register maintained by local government authorities compared to other documents. The age disclosed in schools or birth registers is what is disclosed by the parents or guardian and is likely to be the earliest document, while other documents have age-related information disclosed by the employee himself (like Aadhaar Card, PF, or ESI documents, etc.) and are therefore likely to be self-serving. Medical tests disclose only the range of age, like 58-60, and never the exact age or date of birth. So while taking the age as assessed by the medical board, you may have to give maximum leverage.