Letters: Staff dismissal register may hinder innocent applicants

I read with interest your article on the National Staff Dismissal Register (‘Dishonest employees to be exposed on national dismissal register‘, Personneltoday.com, 8 May). As far as I can see, it constitutes a worrying first step towards unfair hiring practices in British business.

The danger is that this could easily result in candidates being judged guilty until proven innocent, in stark contrast to the ethos of UK law. Reporting suspicions of dishonesty, rather than fact, could unfairly damage an employee’s long-term career prospects. It could lead to cases where applicants are unfairly tarred – especially where accusations arise as a result of personal or cultural issues that are unique to their previous organisation.

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It’s a dangerous first step, especially if the concept is rolled out to other industry sectors. We could find ourselves in a situation where skilled candidates are rejected based on unproven suspicion. This highlights that HR professionals should base their employment judgements on more than mere suspicion, and seek out the facts about candidates through diligent practices.

Allison Gray, HR recruitment, Badenoch & Clark