Offer of casual work and references - General - HR in Schools and Academies

10 Offer of casual work and references

12 Sep, 2017 20:49

Hoping someone can help me with this issue.

Our managers interviewed for a support position where one of the candidates was not successful for the perm role but was conditionally offered a casual role which was (as usually is the case) dependant upon receipt of satisfactory references and DBS clearance.

One of the references came back ok and the next one had a date mismatch (1 year) with the individual's application form dates. He claimed that he was employed longer than the referee's dates.

I informed the candidate that we would be unable to agree a start date until we had some clarity around the dates as any gaps must be explored and justified.

The DBS was cleared ok.

I have tried to contact the referee (trading company) on a number of occasions but nobody is able to confirm the candidate's employment dates.

Things have come to a head this week when the candidate has complained to the Head Teacher about their recruitment experience and the delay (4 months now) in confirming their appointment.

I also have an additional issue where the candidate has not been working in our School for longer than 3 months so we need to reapply for DBS clearance.

Can anyone please let me know what they would do/have done in this situation, bearing in mind the Safer Recruitment guidance.

Thank

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Keith | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 08:06

You have an unexplained significant gap in their work history in an industry that doesn't like ( and has policies around) gaps. Until you can satisfy yourself as to this gap I think you have acted appropriately.

The employee should be focusing on proving what they were doing in that year rather quicker than the four months it has taken.
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David | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 08:07

Hi Sharon
I know nothing of the Safer Recruitment Guidance that you mention, but if all else is looking okay, especially the DBS, why not set out in writing to the candidate that you do need proof of continuity etc, so this will ultimately need to be verified. But meantime, if they insist that there was continuity and that the date given was a mistake, you'll allow them to start conditional upon satisfactory verification being received. And that if it isn't forthcoming and it's found that employee has been giving you false particulars, they may be dismissed as a result.

Similarly with the DBS, provided this is allowable and all else looks aboveboard and ideally put measures in place to keep under close scrutiny until the reapplication comes back.
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David | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 08:11

In reply to David:
Crossed with Keith's somewhat different views - really depends on the exact circumstances? - if the employee has indeed been dragging their feet in the matter of verification, that's not all else looking okay.
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David Perry | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 08:17

I'm not going to get embroiled in the details of the recruitment procedures you use, but I'm not surprised that it is impossible to find an accurate past employment record for someone. I know many things are digital records now, but it is not entirely impossible that someone entered the record incorrectly, and in some of my older appointments, I doubt that records - even of the company still exist, let alone the folks I worked with, or for.
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Keith | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 10:01

In reply to David Perry:
David X 2

Normally I might agree with a pragmatic approach - but the atmosphere around safe guarding and safer recruitment in education at the moment is fairly rabid.

Alarm bells should be ringing in a candidate with so obvious a "gap" in their CV. What I don't understand is why they haven't been able to show some evidence themselves of their "correct" employment dates on which an informed decision could be made as to what they ere doing then.

On the flip side the DBS is clear.

But I think most schools would react exactly the same given the 12 month discrepancy in the CV and the inability of the previous employer to confirm or the employee to show any evidence.
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Sharon | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 10:14

In reply to Keith:
Thank you all for your helpful views. I am wondering whether it would be ok to ask him for payslips from the company he claims he was working for but I guess I would need 12 months worth to prove where he was for the 12 months. I know the process seems arduous (and can understand his frustration) but if something were to happen I really don't want that on my conscious so although he is complaining I need to get it right.
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Ray | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 11:18

In reply to Sharon :
Sharon, the onus is on him to provide corroborating data from his previous employer, your conscience should be clear.
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Ishbel | 0 Posts

13 Sep, 2017 11:19

In reply to Sharon :
Hi Sharon

I don't think that you would need 12 months worth of payslips - just one or two from the period where he says he was employed but the company says he wasn't?

Ishbel
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Jolene | 0 Posts

15 Sep, 2017 12:05

As you said Sharon, you have already told the employee you are awaiting this info. I imagine you have sent him a conditional offer subject to the pre-employment checks in KCSiE section 102.
In schools, references are generally sought before interview so that you can query any anomalies in the interview, was this not the case?
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Sharon | 0 Posts

15 Sep, 2017 17:34

In reply to Jolene:
Thanks for your response Jolene. Yes, normally for teachers we would request references prior to interview.

This is a support role and we would normally interview first and then if successful at interview, make a conditional offer based on DBS and references.
As Support employees are only required to give 4 weeks' notice, requesting and waiting for references to come in prior to interview delays the recruitment process.
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