Previous employer has disposed of my qualification certificates.
Options
Comments
-
I think withholding, let alone destroying other people's property without their permission is not only disgusting, it is also theft. Of what possible use is a certificate in another person's name to an employer if the person who did all the work, studying, travelling, possibly at great personal inconvenience no longer works for them?
I second Gavin83's suggestion to just hand them over as a matter of course at an exit interview. If the person then says, "Oh, it's OK, I don't want those, thanks" I would ask them to sign something to this effect, having pointed out they might need them in the future.
I also disagree with making people repay training costs unless they leave within a few months. The employer has had the benefit of their employee's increased knowledge and skills; presumably this is why they paid for the training in the first place.
This is what happens when unions have no power.
OP, I hope you find your copy certificates with minimum difficulty and they do not cost too much. They are probably worth every penny, though.0 -
Speaking from university point of view I would check with your prospective university what they actually need to see before paying out for things they might not need.
I too am appalled that an employer would just shred things or even have them in the first place- I can undertsand them keeping copies but why on earth would they have the originals, those belong to the person who did the qualification.0 -
Do you charge people for courses if they leave within a certain timeframe?
Maybe it could form part of the exit interview, just hand over the certificates whether they ask for them or not. That way they get the certs and you get them off file.
I honestly don't know. I am not really involved as much now, just for the odd course as I changed jobs and departments but i don't get involved in that side. I book the course, delegate goes on course, I get certificate and send to HR. But is it is something I'm definately going to look into, if only so I know 'why' we do what we do in case ever asked.
The courses I've been on - fire warden, first aid etc I've never had to sign to say I would pay the money back (nothing in contract on it) but as for other people I don't know. But I will ask so I do know going forward.Forty and fabulous, well that's what my cards say....0 -
I honestly don't know. I am not really involved as much now, just for the odd course as I changed jobs and departments but i don't get involved in that side. I book the course, delegate goes on course, I get certificate and send to HR. But is it is something I'm definately going to look into, if only so I know 'why' we do what we do in case ever asked.
The courses I've been on - fire warden, first aid etc I've never had to sign to say I would pay the money back (nothing in contract on it) but as for other people I don't know. But I will ask so I do know going forward.
Fire warden and first aid courses are slightly different to a qualification needed to do your job. I would not expect any company to ask an employee to reimburse a fire marshal course if they left the company.
It is the courses that give you qualifications that advance your career which will look at making you refund the money if you leave within a set time.0 -
My ex employer also did this with all of my certificates. I left them about 8 months ago and thankfully I was fortunate enough to have about 4 of the cards in physical form that we received from the training provider. I needed 3 of them that my employer kept, despite the fact that the training providers told us that the EMPLOYEE would receive the certificates/card etc, even if it was funded for by the company. This never happened.
When I contacted my old company I was told that they had destroyed the certificates etc so I had to re-apply for replacements through the training providers who thankfully still had me on record and only charged me a replacement price.
Sadly this happens a lot with some companies.0 -
I have to say, but I'm jealous of women who go off on maternity (though also appreciative that men can go off work for the same reason, but a lot less frequent). It does come across as merely being a paid holiday from work in some respects, more so when notice to leave is given shortly after maternity ends (but less so when the employee returns as normal)!
A perfect example of the casual sexism women face on a regular basis. While we are fighting for equality we can't change the fact that women are the ones who get pregnant and give birth. So we continue to commute and work throughout the pregnancy, many of us battling various side effects or painful medical conditions. We then have to recover from the birth which is painful, traumatic to the body, and for many can involve major surgery or being left with lifelong effects. Looking after a newborn is exhausting and is 24/7 and you have less money as after the first few weeks SMP is less than £150 a week despite many of us being used to earning much more.
Despite both you and your partner wanting this baby it's onky you that is likely to be discriminated against. Only you will be turned down for training, denied promotion, be more likely to be fired or made redundant. Then you may get colleagues and managers with this daft notion that you've had a paid holiday and are somehow getting something they arent and they resent you for it or make little comments which affect you.
There's a reason laws had to be made to protect people during pregnancy and maternity and unfortunately they can't prevent all these poor attitudes and behaviours. However we must all challenge these comments and attitudes when we encounter them otherwise nothing will improve.Don't listen to me, I'm no expert!0 -
A perfect example of the casual sexism women face on a regular basis. While we are fighting for equality we can't change the fact that women are the ones who get pregnant and give birth. So we continue to commute and work throughout the pregnancy, many of us battling various side effects or painful medical conditions. We then have to recover from the birth which is painful, traumatic to the body, and for many can involve major surgery or being left with lifelong effects. Looking after a newborn is exhausting and is 24/7 and you have less money as after the first few weeks SMP is less than £150 a week despite many of us being used to earning much more.
Despite both you and your partner wanting this baby it's onky you that is likely to be discriminated against. Only you will be turned down for training, denied promotion, be more likely to be fired or made redundant. Then you may get colleagues and managers with this daft notion that you've had a paid holiday and are somehow getting something they arent and they resent you for it or make little comments which affect you.
There's a reason laws had to be made to protect people during pregnancy and maternity and unfortunately they can't prevent all these poor attitudes and behaviours. However we must all challenge these comments and attitudes when we encounter them otherwise nothing will improve.
Well said:T0 -
If I go on a training course - I get the original certificate -the employer can have a copy.
Any other arrangement and I'm not going on the course!
I did the course not them, the certificate is in my name not theirs. Its mine... there would be hell to pay if they tried to keep it from me - and Id get it as soon as it arrives.0 -
Oh wow, I got owned on here :rotfl:
Don't want to fuel the fire too much, so will keep it short.
My beef is with when OP said: "After finishing my maternity leave, I handed my notice in at work".
It may well be unfounded, but I've seen it quite a bit of that in the workplace. Employer holding a job for someone on maternity and employee leaving pretty much as soon as maternity ends. The cynic in me does think "extended holiday", not in a literal sense but more in a "staying on maternity until the bitter end and then leaving" sense.
I personally think that we have gone from giving certain groups no rights to giving them a bit too much. But that's going against the grain of society right now, so will undoubtedly be labelled "sexist" etc.
On the subject of "sexism", and the users who accused me of being sexist. In my initial post I said "though also appreciative that men can go off work for the same reason, but a lot less frequent" - You see, I actually WANT gender equality across the board! I want MEN to be able to go off on maternity leave (paternity) and actually don't think that it is done (or talked about) often enough. So I'm 100% NOT sexist, at least not in the literal sense of the word (people often assume that "sexism" means discriminating against women, but it works both ways).
And, frankly, some of the women on here have sort of unwittingly typified a sexist stereotype from the previous generations (Brookside88 is a prime example) by saying things like:Brookside88 wrote:It begins with forcing a bowling ball out of your lady garden, often requiring stitches and feeling like your insides are going to fall out for a period of several weeks. Then there's the expectation that you'll be the one getting up at night because you don't have to work.
(this quote works because she never once mentioned a male in her post and led on from childbirth, so hard to infer that she was talking about a male/partner in parts of it)
I might not have a child myself, but I have no qualms doing the washing or the dishes or the cooking for my partner. Find it strange that women, in this day and age, feel that they have an "expectation" to do such things (mind you, I know what men can be like; seeing as I am one myself!). My dad used to get up and look after me in the middle of the night, so pretty sure I'm ticking the "good role model presence" box too....
Not being funny, but there is a difference between some random internet stranger making an opinionated comment like this (challenging something which seems to be taking the mick more than an actual discrimination issue) and your male partner who "expects" you to do the laundry/cooking/getting up in the middle of the night etc. Or the boss who overlooks you for promotion, raises, training, puts you on the chopping block etc (Kynthia). I don't want any of those things! But some of you are happy to put that on me and make me as a scapegoat.0 -
Oh wow, I got owned on here :rotfl:
Don't want to fuel the fire too much, so will keep it short.
My beef is with when OP said: "After finishing my maternity leave, I handed my notice in at work".
It may well be unfounded, but I've seen it quite a bit of that in the workplace. Employer holding a job for someone on maternity and employee leaving pretty much as soon as maternity ends. The cynic in me does think "extended holiday", not in a literal sense but more in a "staying on maternity until the bitter end and then leaving" sense.
I personally think that we have gone from giving certain groups no rights to giving them a bit too much. But that's going against the grain of society right now, so will undoubtedly be labelled "sexist" etc.
On the subject of "sexism", and the users who accused me of being sexist. In my initial post I said "though also appreciative that men can go off work for the same reason, but a lot less frequent" - You see, I actually WANT gender equality across the board! I want MEN to be able to go off on maternity leave (paternity) and actually don't think that it is done (or talked about) often enough. So I'm 100% NOT sexist, at least not in the literal sense of the word (people often assume that "sexism" means discriminating against women, but it works both ways).
And, frankly, some of the women on here have sort of unwittingly typified a sexist stereotype from the previous generations (Brookside88 is a prime example) by saying things like:
(this quote works because she never once mentioned a male in her post and led on from childbirth, so hard to infer that she was talking about a male/partner in parts of it)
I might not have a child myself, but I have no qualms doing the washing or the dishes or the cooking for my partner. Find it strange that women, in this day and age, feel that they have an "expectation" to do such things (mind you, I know what men can be like; seeing as I am one myself!). My dad used to get up and look after me in the middle of the night, so pretty sure I'm ticking the "good role model presence" box too....
Not being funny, but there is a difference between some random internet stranger making an opinionated comment like this (challenging something which seems to be taking the mick more than an actual discrimination issue) and your male partner who "expects" you to do the laundry/cooking/getting up in the middle of the night etc. Or the boss who overlooks you for promotion, raises, training, puts you on the chopping block etc (Kynthia). I don't want any of those things! But some of you are happy to put that on me and make me as a scapegoat.
At the beginning of maternity leave my partner felt that it was a years paid holiday too but after I went away for a few days and left him with the baby he soon changed him mind and is now very supportive. My point is that for a lot of women it is still an expectation and it's up to her to fix that, as I did with my partner0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
- 608.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173.1K Life & Family
- 248K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards