General Chat

Good evening to you all

Thank you all for your replies.

Yes, my friend was referred by the Job Centre to this new deal scheme, which is run by a private company. He had lots of documents to prove who he was.

Also, as he was in receipt of benefit, why didn't the scheme send a fax to the DWP to confirm who he was and that he was in receipt of benefit.

This was a poor experience for him when he has genuine disability and would like support to return to the workplace.

It knocked his confidence and did nothing to help him.

Why should people have to be embarassed by details on their full birth certificates?

Obviously, the firm which was paid by results did not like people who were not born in wedlock, which today is immaterial and nothing to do with getting back to work!


My female friend who is very shy found answering questions on her employment form about her intimate life, womens matters etc, very intrusive.

I have worked in the public sector for many years.

Believe me, it was very easy to gain access to employees personal information and share it among managers and staff.

No employer could ever pay enough money to demand knowledge about an employees life outside of the workplace.

Finally, do these employers really think any employee is going to give truthful answers to questions that ask about religion, sexuality, family or very personal matters?

I do not think so.

I will get of my soap box!!

Thank you for your intelligent and thought provoking comments.

Best wishes.
x

If your friend was refered by say the job centre to the 'new deal' scheme, then he should have told the person asking for ID to go back to them for proof of ID. I'd actually like to know what they'd have done if he didn't have the required ID.

Some jobs they do need to know these things, although I think a lot of employers want to know more than they need to.

Indeed Ann an airside security pass inn the wrong hands would be a recepie for disaster

Col, I am sure your reply is tongue in cheek and that you know only too well the problems of employing anyone who could be a security risk in that job

Ann
Glos

The CS has never been any different, back in 1956 when I joined it was the same, although that was the admiralty, later MOD so was/is a security thing. It never occurred to me to bother about giving the info as I had nothing to hide.

These days employers have to be responsible for not employing people who should not be in this country (i.e. illegal immigrants), this is why a full birth cert/passport ID is necessary I suspect. We would be the first to complain when illegal immigrants are employed ahead of EU Nationals.

Ann
Glos

Gawd knows what they thought you might do with the detergent Col, poison someone maybe. Hee Hee

Dianne xx

In one job I was asked about myself, my parents, my siblings . Where we all lived our complete employment history, membership of any political parties as well as that a full CRB check was conducted - the job? the heady world of cleaning civil aircraft at the airport

Talking of spies Deanna

While I was working for the CS I went on a family holiday to Yugoslavia. Right from the word go I had someone following me for the whole holiday, from leaving Dubrovnik Airport to my return there for the flight back to England.

I wouldn't mind but I was nowt to do with Intelligence, I was only paying out Supplementary Benefit !!!

Dianne xx

Dianne it has always been that way with the Civil Service.
They are paranoid, they think you may be a spy.....
Deanna X

I only answer questions I want to and ONLY if applicable to the matter in hand!! It's absolutely none of their business!!
Carol

I had to produce my birth certificate to the Civil Service back in 1982 for a job.

As I only had the short version I had to purchase, at my own expense not theirs, the full version which gave both parents names. They told me they would be doing checks on both my parents before employing me.

Dianne xx

I would think it is important for an employer to confirm identity as he could be in trouble employing certain people. Also, if an employer has a health or pension scheme, in order for benefits from them to be correctly paid eg, pension paid at correct age, then age and also marriage needs to be verified. Most employers would want to determine these at the start of employment. I had to produce these documents over 30 years ago. It is nothing new. I also had to fill forms in giving details about my parents.

What is extremely important though is keeping the information under lock and key, confidentiality and being discreet about this private information.

Thats nothing to where i work.I had a form asking about my sexuality.That i tore up.Then i had to produce my driving licence mot and insurance.Although i work in two schemes i drive my own vechicle and not a company car. Annie

I don't disagree with having to proove your identity, and for this there are a list of recognised documents that are suitable. There are normally two parts - ID and Validation, so typically, you produce your passport as ID and your council tax bill as validation.

Some jobs, particularly where the remuneration package involve the company making pension contributions or where a payment is made on death in service, are entitled to know about medical history, otherwise the questions are not relevant.

Other personal questions are not relevant, unless they specifically affect your ability to perfom the job in question. So for example if the task involves the correct identification of colours, you employer may legitimately ask if you colour blind

I find this trend to interfere in our personal history very, very frightening.
why would anyone need proof of identity for a job, we have our insurance numbers, our NHS hospital numbers.... so many ways in which we can prove who we are.
When my youngest son started school in 1976, I was asked for his birth certificate.
I refused to give it.
The child is there, they can see him, they know where he lives, that I am his mother, his father is his father... and he had three siblings who had been through that particular school.
Why did they need his birth certificate?

So NOW people trying so hard to get a job are being asked for PRIVATE INFORMATION???

I am with you on this, it is DISGUSTING...
of course people will have to either refuse and fight it, which they will not...
or comply, which they will do as they so badly need the jobs.

Deanna X

Nudge please.

Thank you.

Dear All

My friend applied for an ordinary clerical job.

She had to fill in a confidential medical form, which I saw.

The contents of which were extremely personal and frankly, I was speechless at the nosiness of the questions. Some of a very personal nature indeed.

Although this department was supposed to adhere to confidentality, I think we all know that medical info can get into the wrong hands.

Another friend went along to this new, better deal scheme for employment. He was born and has always lived in the UK.

To prove his identity, he was asked to show his full birth certificate, not the short one.

On his full birth certificate, it said at the bottom in small print,
this certificate is not proof of identity!

He was upset at showing his birth certificate because his father's name was not on it. The scheme then wanted further info about this. Not surprisingly, he did not want to return.

My questions for GR members are these:

Do you think employers hold too much info on staff and for what reasons do they want it?

My view is when you are outside of the work environment, that is your private life and your familys. The employer is not paying for your time then.