Refused job interview based on credit rating. Discrimination?

MrCooper

RuthnJasper wrote: »

No-one is branding you a "criminal". Being bankrupt is not a crime. However, if you are expected to be a financial account manager, handle budgets, or any other aspect of a company's cashflow, then people who have been made bankrupt can legitimately be disqualified from these employment spheres.

Businesses are not charities; they don't "have to" employ anyone they choose not to.

I'm sorry for your situation, OP - I really hope things improve for you soon. x

Never been bankrupt, never had a CCJ. I am just behind paying bills... Why? Because I am out of work... I understand the charity thing, but to nearly get an interview, then to not because of this credit check seems crazy to me.

Thanks for your hope of improvement note. I hope it does too.

MrCooper

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

Because those in financial difficulty are statistically more likely to steal, commit fraud etc. Employers quite right reduce the risk of this happening.

Like I said, nothing is ever as black and white as that. Not everyone in financial difficulty will go on to commit fraud.

Takeaway_Addict

MrCooper wrote: »

Like I said, nothing is ever as black and white as that. Not everyone in financial difficulty will go on to commit fraud.

I agree but why would you as an employer risk it if you didn't and legally didn't have to?

Daedalus

MrCooper wrote: »

Seems unfair. Looks like if you are having financial difficulty, you are instantly branded a criminal. Just because someone is having financial problems doesn't mean they should be tossed aside for a job, just like you can't discount someone who is pregnant or over a certain age. Thanks for your replies.

Yet you made the following point.

It isn't as if I have a criminal record.

All arguments you make for poor crediting being meaningless to someone's ability to do a job can equally apply to someone with a criminal record. How does a conviction speeding impact someone's ability to clean toilets?

Fact employers can't take people's words for it, that they are the exception, they use broad stokes to narrow down a mass of applicants.

AP007

Daedalus wrote: »

No, credit rating is not a protected class.

As for why, not that a reason is needed, an employee in financial difficulties is more likely to commit fraud.

Not from my experience. That's a bad assumption to make. I worked with someone who's husband owned a business and they had a house in the south of France and 4 holidays a year and she was arrested for stealing over £300k!!!!


Also you can fail a credit check just by say paying a phone bill one day late!

AP007

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

Because those in financial difficulty are statistically more likely to steal, commit fraud etc. Employers quite right reduce the risk of this happening.

I would suggest that if you have to give a credit report next time that you put a covering letter as to why you are in debt etc and what you are doing to get out of it.

Credit reports don't have to say you are in debt. Mine don't and I have never missed a payment for anything I have ever had but I still failed a credit check for TFL.

Like I say the OP could have failed as they paid a bill one day late or something. These things show up on your file.

Saturnalia

It happened to me. I'd been doing a job for nearly 12 weeks and had been offered a year's work with the company just days before we were all informed that we were going to have an extensive credit check done. I have a DRO so told my manager straight away, and the verdict came from the relevant department that they couldn't keep me on.

My managers were upset about it as my work had been spot-on and in our department there was no opportunity whatsoever to commit fraud, even if someone did have a mind to.

Surely if there was a point when I could have been tempted into stealing, it would have been before the DRO when my debts were out of control and I was being chased by bailiffs, not at the point when I had taken legal means to take control of the situation?

It's basically saying if you are poor you will steal! Judged as a thief when you haven't done anything wrong. I know someone said upthread that being bankrupt isn't a crime, but companies assessing risk of you committing crime clearly believe you will do, more so than others.

Daedalus

AP007 wrote: »

Not from my experience. That's a bad assumption to make. I worked with someone who's husband owned a business and they had a house in the south of France and 4 holidays a year and she was arrested for stealing over £300k!!!!


Also you can fail a credit check just by say paying a phone bill one day late!

You seriously are so black and white aren't you?

You honestly think I was implying and that companies actually just think 'Lets reject everyone with a crap credit rating and we won't have to worry about any other counter fraud policies'?

Coraline

MrCooper wrote: »

But what has having poor credit got to do with someone's ability to do a job? Surely you should take other things into account, such as their previous good character? People fall into financial difficulty for all sorts of reasons - it doesn't make them bad people. Employers need to change this poor system. Nothing is ever as black and white as that.

In my career I've dealt with tens of THOUSANDS of applicaitons over decades--I have to generalise.

Of course there are many factors to consider, but there are levels of magnitude and basing on the job applied for.

All things being equal, if you were hiring accountants that process purchasing orders and you had two candidates, (with ALL else being equal) but one with clean credit, and one with a record of unpaid bills and judgments for abandonding debts who would you hire?

AP007

Daedalus wrote: »

You seriously are so black and white aren't you?

You honestly think I was implying and that companies actually just think 'Lets reject everyone with a crap credit rating and we won't have to worry about any other counter fraud policies'?

If companies had any fraud policies in place people and my boss wouldn't have been able to steal and you would be surprised what systems aren't in place and they are open to people who want to help themselves. This is from working in accounts and seeing these things happen.