Employee convicted of forgery for lying on CV…

Being dishonest on your job application and CV can have potentially serious and long-lasting consequences, as a doctor has just discovered. The doctor forged a document as part of their registration process and removed a prior complaint about their behaviour. The Court has convicted the doctor of forgery and the doctor’s appeal has been refused. He is now unable to get a job because of the conviction, and is also unable to travel overseas to many countries.

Bad consequences can also follow from exaggerating your capabilities in your CV or interview. If an employee gives their prospective employer the impression that they can do a job based on their experience and qualifications, the employer will be very disappointed, if it later turns out that the employee is not as capable as the picture they painted during the application process. 

An employer can take disciplinary action against an employee who is not able to perform to a reasonably expected standard.  Disciplinary action may include dismissal, especially if the employee had been dishonest when they indicated to the employer that they would be able to perform to a certain standard.

Employees need to be mindful about what the long-term consequences will be if they are not being honest in their job application. In the first instance, the employee is likely to feel overwhelmed and stressed when they are presented with work they cannot deliver.  If the employee is eventually dismissed, or even if the employee resigns at their own volition, they may be stuck with a negative reference which will impact on their future employability or even a conviction for the dishonesty. 

Honesty really is the best policy.  An employer is much more likely to provide support and training for an employee to come up to speed if they are being honest about their aptitude rather than if the employer feels like they were duped into taking on the employee. 

Read more about about Poor performance Disciplinary process.

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