Failed Background checks with bank

Lucy987

Hi everyone,

New to this forum so apologies if I have posted in the wrong group. Looking for some much needed advice please

So my husband was offered a job in one of the leading banks. His offer was on the condition that he passed all his screening checks. There were two parts (pre employment and post employment)

He passed his stage 1 and started work last week. all his screening stuff came back ok (criminal checks/credit checks/ employment checks) however there was a discrepancy with his education checks. My husband couldn’t remember what he got for a small course he did in college 14 years ago and had lost his certificate. Just to add this was not a pre requisite for the role in anyway and completely unrelated to his job. Anyway he put down that he got a c as he genuinely thought he passed it ( but hireright found that he was never awarded anything) he was a careless teenager who never took much interest in studies but sillily thought he had passed when he was actually a few credits short ( I know, very silly of him and I’m so angry at him for this) but this was a genuine mistake.

Anyway on his first day HR Emailed about this discrepancy and he spoke to his manager who said don’t worry just contact the college and get the information u can get from then (at this point he still didn’t know he hadn’t passed) so all week he was phoning the college trying to verify what he got and his manager knew he was doing so. When the college finally got in touch they confirmed that he hadn’t been awarded anything. He told his manager who then responded to HR’s initial email.

HR then asked for him to be escorted out the office and have suspended him until a disciplinary meeting. Obviously we are devastated as this was his dream job and an amazing opportunity and it is slipping through our fingers over a silly mistake.

My question is can they dismiss him? (Which would make finding jobs in future very difficult) or would they simply withdraw offer of employment. As the offer was subject to the screening process passing.

Also any advice on how to go ahead with the meeting would be greatly appreciated

DCFC79

Lucy987 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

New to this forum so apologies if I have posted in the wrong group. Looking for some much needed advice please

So my husband was offered a job in one of the leading banks. His offer was on the condition that he passed all his screening checks. There were two parts (pre employment and post employment)

He passed his stage 1 and started work last week. all his screening stuff came back ok (criminal checks/credit checks/ employment checks) however there was a discrepancy with his education checks. My husband couldn’t remember what he got for a small course he did in college 14 years ago and had lost his certificate. Just to add this was not a pre requisite for the role in anyway and completely unrelated to his job. Anyway he put down that he got a c as he genuinely thought he passed it ( but hireright found that he was never awarded anything) he was a careless teenager who never took much interest in studies but sillily thought he had passed when he was actually a few credits short ( I know, very silly of him and I’m so angry at him for this) but this was a genuine mistake.

Anyway on his first day HR Emailed about this discrepancy and he spoke to his manager who said don’t worry just contact the college and get the information u can get from then (at this point he still didn’t know he hadn’t passed) so all week he was phoning the college trying to verify what he got and his manager knew he was doing so. When the college finally got in touch they confirmed that he hadn’t been awarded anything. He told his manager who then responded to HR’s initial email.

HR then asked for him to be escorted out the office and have suspended him until a disciplinary meeting. Obviously we are devastated as this was his dream job and an amazing opportunity and it is slipping through our fingers over a silly mistake.

My question is can they dismiss him? (Which would make finding jobs in future very difficult) or would they simply withdraw offer of employment. As the offer was subject to the screening process passing.

Also any advice on how to go ahead with the meeting would be greatly appreciated

He can be dismissed as been there less than the 2 years.

He will need to explain what you put here, he will need to honest with them.

Lucy987

Thank you for response

Even if the screening checks were a condition of the employment?

[Deleted User]

The screening checks were acondition big if there are discrepancies then course they will be investigated.

TELLIT01

Of course they can dismiss him. They can dismiss him without giving any reason in most situations if employed by them for less than 2 years.
Whichever way you look at it, he has provided false information in his application, and that will ring alarm bells for anybody intending to work in financial services. Looking at it from the employer perspective, if an applicant isn't honest in their CV what else will they be dishonest about.
If he had said he had received a C when in fact it was a D, they might be more accepting given that he couldn't find the certificate and it was a long time ago. When the reality is that it seems he either didn't complete the course, or didn't do the final exam, it is a very different matter.
The only route open to him now is to be totally honest with them, but he is in an extremely weak position. If he now says he can't remember because it was so long ago, the obvious question is why did he either not leave it off the CV or mention his uncertainty at interview.

Lucy987

I know they are able to stop his employment with them but I thought they would retract the offer of employment rather than actually dismissing him (although both are essentially same) as without the screening checks there was no contract in the first place...

[Deleted User]

There was a contract. He accepted the job on the condition of the checks, they came back and has since started his job, that offer is no longer an offer its a contract of employment.

lincroft1710

I am surprised that your husband didn't remember that he either failed or failed to finish the college course when it was only 14 years ago.

In my opinion the bank would have made the natural assumption that he lied rather than genuinely forgot.

[Deleted User]

Lucy987 wrote: »

I know they are able to stop his employment with them but I thought they would retract the offer of employment rather than actually dismissing him (although both are essentially same) as without the screening checks there was no contract in the first place...

Could he resign? I only mention it as my stage 1 which has delayed me into work, did get an ask whether I was wanting to continue with the particular situation. With no guidance or commitment on the Employers side as to what is the delay. And totally different now hearing a stage 1 requires a Manager to look over results and sign it off.

So I'm a bit hazy on the stages 1 & 2 now and while my potential role really was as basic as it got, do think it's a diabolical idea to let someone start with checks still pending if it's so important.

Savvy_Sue

I think he should start practising, aloud, what he wants to say at the disciplinary meeting, with profuse apologies for misleading them.

If he is in a union, he might be able to get someone to accompany him?

I think they would have been within their rights to escort him from the building and not have him back for a disciplinary, so that's something ...

TELLIT01

Deleted%20User wrote: »

Could he resign?

Why on earth would he do that? It's still possible that the employer will accept that it was a simple error on the employees past when trying to recall something from many years previous and being unable to find the certificate. Resigning in that situation is as good as an admission of guilt.