A country-wide database of 'workplace offenders' will be launched later this month to combat the annual loss of half-a-billion pounds through staff theft and fraud.
The National Staff Dismissal Register will allow employers to share and access details of staff that have been dismissed or have left employment while under investigation for dishonest actions.
Such actions include theft, fraud, forgery, falsification of documents and causing damage to company property. An employee need not have a criminal conviction for their details to be added to the database.
The Home Office says it stopped funding the scheme in 2007, having pumped £1m over the three years it was associated with the project.
The register is an initiative by Action Against Business Crime, a partnership between the Home Office and the British Retail Consortium, and is allowable under the regulation of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Big names to have thrown their weight behind the register, include retailers Harrods, HMV and Selfridges, and outsourcing agency Reed Managed Services.
COMMENTS
Whilst this may sound like a fantastic idea for employers who, in an increasingly cautious world of bland, insipid and non-committal references, have little by way of opportunity to fully “check out” an employee before they take them on, there does need to be a practical balance drawn when considering the potential benefits of such a scheme.
Some benefits cited for businesses include cost and time savings through reduced losses (from dishonest staff) and more efficient recruitment process respectively. Also it is suggested that the Register will act as a deterrent for existing staff so they will not be dishonest, and help improve the perceived quality of the working environment.
However, there are naturally some concerns about the use of the Register. Companies could use this database to ‘blacklist’ workers they believe are leaving the company for a competitor in order to stop them being employed by such competitor. The worker may not even know about the allegation or the concern – for example, they could be one of ten people in a warehouse where something goes missing and that may be enough for him/her to then get put on the database and become almost unemployable.
People may effectively become shut out of the job market by a former employer who falsely accuses them of misconduct or sacks them because they bear a grudge. Individuals would be treated as criminals even though the police had never been contacted, and they may never have been notified even of suspicions by their former employer.
Whilst if the employee can prove that what is on the database about them is incorrect the information can be changed, in practice, it is very unlikely that they will be able to prove this because it will be their word against the business.
This database system may certainly be helpful to a business as it may get lucky and not employ someone who could be a problem for it, but if someone gets put on there unfairly then it could miss out on some really talented people who could potentially help it grow and benefit for the future.
Naturally businesses are going to be keen on this Register, but there is still going to be much to be said for rigorous recruitment processes and sensible judgements!
Nick Shepphard
Having worked in various organisations and see the results of theft by employees, I feel this is valid, as sometimes it is not just the business that suffers but the honest employees that are left behind. They lose benefits that could of been shared. I have also seen that ID fraud and using other confidential information can go into the hands of dishonest employees having a profound affect on other members of the organisation and customers.
In once instance the company closed one of the associated branches which meant a loss of jobs and financial hardship for the employees losing their job.
I was lucky I had already been searching for a new position and just secured a job in another organisation, but some of my colleagues where not as fortunate.
Michelle Elliott-McEvoy
Yes, and Harrods are leading the way. How many millions of pounds of public money were spend on the Princess Diana enquiry? Most of accusations, which seemed to be based around some very weird thoughts, came from Mr. Al Fayed, owner of Harrods and now they are subscribing to this. Does anyone think that this adds credibility to the scheme?
MP
M. Piertney
Will there also be a Register of unscrupulous Employers for potential Employees to check on?
KD
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