Can We Fire an Employee for Lying About Past Jobs and Poor Performance in Just a Month?

Dear Connections, I have come across a situation where, after hiring an employee, I discovered after a month that the details he provided about his last employment were all false. When I suspected his behavior, I contacted the owner of his previous company, who revealed the truth about his false employment record, on the condition that his involvement remains confidential. This employee is very irregular in submitting the necessary data for reporting, and now that we have withheld his salary, he is persistently following up on it. In this case, we want to terminate his employment without mentioning the previous company's owner's name. Would it be acceptable to terminate him based on his failure to share sales data and his unprofessional conduct within a month's time? Please advise.

Hi,

What does the offer letter or appointment order state? Are there any terms for terminations mentioned? If you have specified immediate termination for non-performance, please state that and proceed with the termination.

Regards,
KM

Termination Process and Considerations

Follow your offer letter clauses for termination. What have you noticed about his behavior? Is he not following the rules or not performing as per your organization's standards? Do not rely solely on what the previous person has told you. There are always two sides to every story. Evaluate his current performance and make a judgment, unless there is evidence of fraud, misstatement, or false documentation involved.

Counseling and Documentation

Counsel the employee about shortfalls in his job performance. If there is no improvement, then terminate his employment by following the principles of natural justice. Documentation of shortfalls and counseling can be maintained to invoke the clause of termination if warranted.

Thank you so much for your inputs. I have terminated him on the basis of committing fraud by sharing his employment record. On top of that, he has not responded as he knew he was at fault.