I have absconded last week, and can I join my new Employer next week?

I have 3 years of IT experience. I recently switched my job and as the days passed, I was feeling frustrated because of no work as I was on the bench. I decided to switch the organization and started giving job interviews. I got selected in one of the reputed companies "Z". During the interview, I didn't mention anything about my current employer "Y"; instead, I told them about my previous employment with company "X". I stated that my last employment was with the company "X" and did not inform them about my current employer "Y". I told them that I got laid off and was searching for a job while learning new technologies. They accepted the explanation for the gap and scheduled the interview, which I cleared, leading to the offer being released.

My current employment with company "Y" lasted only 4 months, and I resigned by sending an email for immediate resignation and submitting my ID card to admin before leaving the office.

Question 1: Since I have not mentioned my current employment with company "Y" anywhere in my resume or elsewhere, can my future company find out about this job from which I absconded?

Question 2: If a background check occurs, will they only verify the data and references I provided and nothing else?

Question 3: I absconded last week; can I join my new employer next week?

Information: My UAN numbers at Companies "X" and "Y" are different, and I had only activated the UAN for company "X". This is my first instance of absconding, so I am a bit nervous.

My request is not to consider moral aspects in your response. I understand that ethically I have not acted appropriately. Please let me know if any more information is required.

Seeking employment elsewhere is your privilege, no doubt, but as an employed person and the other party to your employment contract, you are duty-bound ethically, morally, and, above all, legally to keep your employer in the loop by processing your job applications through your current employer. In any case, once the prospective employer opts to verify records and discovers that you withheld some information from them, do not expect a favorable outcome. Honesty (trustworthiness) is still the best policy.

Harsh K Sharan, Kritarth Team of Professionals

30.4.2020

Hi Team,

Thank you for your suggestions. I am very glad. Could you please help me understand if a new employer can find out about my past employment, as I have explained in the above case? I have 2 different UANs. I have only shared one UAN with the new employer. Could you please assist me with this question?

Hi Neha,

It is possible for your prospective employer (Z) to find out about your current company (Y) when the verification agency checks with company (X) on whether they had conducted layoffs at the time you exited. It would then be revealed that you had a normal resignation and exit. This would raise suspicions with the verification agency, and they have their methods to check for the duration ahead like social media accounts, recruiter networks, etc. It depends on what type of profile you hold and the potential risks and costs for your prospective employer Z.

There also seems to be some confusion regarding your exit from the current company, Y. Just submitting your email of resignation and submitting your ID card to the admin seems too easy. Was there any particular reason for the admin to accept your ID card just like that? Normally, there should be an intimation of exit from the HR if the admin has to accept the ID card. If not, it becomes a breach of procedure.

Neha, if it is a case where you had been laid off from company Y, then it would have been alright to state that to company Z.

Dear Madam,

In matters of employment, it is wrong to hide any information from the new employer. It is difficult to understand what made you give lies, leave the previous job improperly, and hide this from the new employer. On top of this, you want advice from this forum on how to wriggle out. If the new employer wants to find out your antecedents, they can do so through several sources. And when they come to know the real facts, you would have put your credibility and the job at great risk.

Regards,

Vinayak Nagarkar
HR and Employee Relations Consultant