Telling porkies

Madjock

Following on from this evening's sport thread about a compromise sgreement, thought I'd share my experiences this week with porkies.

My employer has recently decided to carry out CRB checks on many of its staff. I got a letter about 2 weeks ago, advising me to sign the form and take it to work along with all my ID documents.

I have a conviction for shoplifting, in 1986. This causes me great shame and embarrassment and very few people that I now know are aware of it. I agonised over what to do, phoned a lot of organisations for advice, and decided to take a chance on not telling my employer about it. I did not lie on the CRB form, as it only asks you to declare unspent convictions. The letter from my employer was where they were fishing for true confessions, i.e., speak to your manager if you have ANY convictions.

So, I took my form in, it got sent off, and I didn't mention my 25 yr old youthful transgression. Thursday evening I get home from work, there's the envelope. Fag in hand, dog yapping to go on her evening walk, I open the letter and low and fckin behold, there's my theft conviction.

Didn't sleep Thursday night, imagined being frogmarched out of the office with people pointing and staring, and dragged myself to work Friday lunchtime to face the music. It was immediately apparent that work hadn't received their copy yet as it was situation normal. I sat and took some deep breaths, found the balls my OH had been urging me to grow all night, and asked to have a word with the boss.

Apparently, I'm in good company, the Chairman of the Co has criminal convictions too (I hasten to add I don't know if they're for shoplifting!). So, the moral of my story is, honesty is (probably) the best policy.

Milkshock

lucky you had been there many years then

Pupnik

I thought things don't show up on it after a certain amount of years? It seems silly for anyone to care about such a minor thing from so long ago. When I started the job I'm in now I had to have a CRB and credit check which surprised me. Luckily I have nothing to hide but I did wonder what on earth I would have done if I did, as I hadn't been aware that I needed to have those checks until after I had the job offer. I've never had to do them for a job before, it seems like it is becoming increasingly common.

Madjock

I've not been there that long, 3 and a 1/2 years. It was a standard check that was done, and everyone I spoke to was sure it wouldn't show, but apparently the authority involved felt it needed to be included. It does seem silly now that I was so worried about it, shoplifting 25 years ago hardly seems important. Whether I would apply for a job now that required a CRB check is another matter though, theft is theft, and I don't know that I would be comfortable telling a complete stranger in a job interview that I have a conviction. I imagine there is a large part of my boss's reaction that is due to the fact that I have worked there for 3 years and have an established relationship with my employer, even though I think I'm a bit of a pain in their !!!! sometimes!

Savvy_Sue

There is no need to 'spill the beans' at interview. If you're asked, you say "If I'm asked to complete a CRB form, I would be making a disclosure for a minor offence over 25 years ago" but I don't think they have the right to ask you in that situation. CRB information should be kept very tight within an organisation - it shouldn't have the chance to become public knowledge.

If it appears that the job will require a CRB, you send in a 'disclosure' with your application. The disclosure is in a sealed envelope, securely attached to your application but without your name on the envelope (you do put your name on the disclosure itself) unless it's blindingly obvious that the employer doesn't remove all personal information from forms before shortlisting.

Your disclosure says "In 1986 I was convicted for shoplifting under the following circumstances (led astray by friends, desperate, stupid, dazed and confused, whatever)." You give the mitigating circumstances, you express regret, you point out your subsequent impeccable character etc etc etc.

An employer who knows how to handle CRB disclosures would not open that envelope unless you were going to be offered the job. Only if it was obvious that your offence made you completely unsuitable (offences against children if working with children, sexual offences if working with vulnerable adults, recent convictions etc) should any action be taken at that stage.

The problem, as you've discovered, is that if an employer (and by that I mean the person tasked with dealing with CRBs!) doesn't know what to expect when your check comes back, they think you're trying to hide something!

Madjock

Sorry to bump this post back up, but I just wanted to say thanks for the above post, Savvy Sue, that's gone a long way to putting my mind at rest. I've not got any plans to leave my current job as I do enjoy it, but you never know. My company is extremely frustrating sometimes, and I call them all the names under the sun at times, but the reaction to my CRB and my sin of not mentioning my conviction has been great.