Dishonesty is a real problem in IT today and
it's critical to screen al job applicants for evidence of moral
turpitude and weed out those you breach contracts or engage in
illegal or unethical behaviors.
Also see these important notes on evaluating
the
personal integrity and honesty of trusted computer employees and
how to use
bad credit reports against employees
The stakes are high, and the new is
full of reports of companies that have lost millions of dollars due
to the
immoral behavior of computer employees.
-
In Florida,
William Sullivan faces accusations that he stole millions of
records from the database, selling his employers
mission-critical data to a data broker.
-
In California,
Jennifer Adams, 45, an IT systems administrator, allegedly
orchestrated a tax fraud scheme that scammed the government out
of more than $50,000.
Even minor immoral behaviors like slow payment
of debt (indicates people who don't honor their agreements) and
excessive parking tickets (indicates disrespect for the law) can be
tips that a person who might betray you on the job.
Below is a screening tool that can be used to
weed out dishonest job applicants. For more details, see the
books
Conducting the Oracle Job Interview
and
Win Your
Computer Dream Job.
Please have your morals questionnaire reviewed
by a local attorney to ensure that all of the questions that you ask
are legal within your jurisdiction.
Note: For American's,
see these important guidelines for
using consumer reports to make hiring decisions.
For example, it notes that you can be sued for performing a credit
check without the applicant's consent, but you can deny an applicant
for bad credit, provided that you get their consent before
conducting the pre-employment credit check.
Federal criteria for honesty and moral
behavior
Many
employers use the same hiring
criteria as outlined in US
Federal Regulations,
PART 710—CRITERIA AND PROCEDURES
FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR
ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED MATTER.
Any of the following are
evidence or moral turpitude,
someone that cannot be trusted
with sensitive corporate data:
- arrest
and/or conviction of a
felony;
-
frequent involvement with
authorities even as a
juvenile;
- DWI/DUI;
- having
been a patient in an
institution primarily
devoted to the treatment of
mental, emotional, or
psychological disorders;
- A
history of not meeting
financial obligations. A
pattern of financial
irresponsibility
(bankruptcy, debt or credit
problems, defaulting on a
student loan)
- moving
violations with fines over
$200;
-
illegal drug use (to include
any use
of cocaine, heroin, LSD, and
PCP); and the illegal
purchase, possession, or
sale of any such narcotics.
-
Deceptive or illegal
financial practices, such as
embezzlement, employee
theft, check fraud, income
tax evasion, expense account
fraud, filing deceptive loan
statements, and other
intentional breaches of
trust
-
Inability or unwillingness
to satisfy debts
-
Unexplained affluence
-
Financial problems that are
linked to gambling, drug
abuse, alcoholism, or other
issues of a security
concern.
-
Deliberate omission,
concealment, or
falsification of a material
fact in any written document
or oral statement in the job
application
Sample Immoral
Behavior Detection Questionnaire
Computer
consultants and employees work in trusted positions and a full
background investigation (criminal, civil and credit history) is
conducted on all applicants.
A
non-zero or "yes" answer to any of these questions does not
automatically disqualify you for employment
Please answer these questions and sign below indicating that you are
telling the truth.
Please use the space provided at the bottom of this page to explain
any extenuating circumstances and clarify your answers.
·
How many times have you been arrested?
·
How many times have you been convicted of a crime other than a
traffic violation?
·
How many times have you been convicted of a felony crime?
·
How many bench warrants have been issued on you? (e.g. unpaid
tickets, failure to appear)
·
How many times have you filed a worker's compensation claim?
·
How many times have you sued a current or former employer?
·
How many times have you failed an employer required drug test?
·
Have you ever been diagnosed as a drug or alcohol addict?
·
Have you even been committed by a court to a mental institution as a
danger to yourself or others?
·
How many times have you been a Plaintiff or Defendant in a civil
lawsuit?
·
How many times have you had a monetary judgment made against you?
·
Have you ever been sued for breach of contract or nonpayment of
debt?
·
Do you have a history of bad credit (i.e. chronic late payments of
debt)?
·
Have you ever defaulted on a debt (bankruptcy, mortgage default)
I
hereby agree to reimburse you for the $1,400 cost of the
investigation should it be found that I have provided incorrect
answers to any of these questions.
I certify that these answers and correct,
_____
_______________________________________
DATE Signature
Another sample questionnaire to weed out
undesirable employees:
·
Have you ever been arrested?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all questions listed
below)?
o
Were the charges Misdemeanor or
Felony?
o
Were you convicted?
o
If yes, what was the sentence?
o
Are you required to register yourself
and/or your address with any local, state or national agencies as
the result of this arrest?
·
Have you ever had a bench
warrant issued on you? (e.g. unpaid tickets, failure to appear,
etc.)
o
If yes, what were the circumstances
and outcome?
·
Have you ever filed a
worker's compensation claim?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all questions listed
below)?
o
What was the nature of the claim?
o
Were you granted worker's
compensation?
·
Have you ever sued a current or former employer?
o
If yes, how many times (please list each incident separately and
include answers to all questions listed below)?
o
Date of filing?
o
State and County of filing?
·
Have you ever failed an employer required drug test?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all questions listed
below)?
o
What substance was involved (e.g.
alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, etc.)
o
What specific actions were taken by
the employer?
·
Have you ever been diagnosed as a drug or alcohol addict?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all questions listed
below)?
o
Did you receive treatment?
o
Was treatment received in a
rehabilitation facility (public or private)?
o
Did you successfully complete
treatment?
o
How long have you been in recovery?
·
Have you even been committed by a court to a mental
institution as a danger to yourself or others?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all questions listed
below)?
o
What were the dates of the
institutionalization period?
o
Was your release ordered by a
physician or did you check yourself out?
·
Have you ever been the
Plaintiff or Defendant in a civil lawsuit?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all questions listed
below)?
o
How many times were you the
Plaintiff?
§
What was the hearing date of each
case?
§
In what State and County was the case
heard?
o
How many times were you the
Defendant?
§
What was the hearing date of each
case?
§
In what State and County was the case
heard?
·
Have you ever had a monetary
judgment issued against you?
o
If yes, how many times (please list
each incident separately and include answers to all of the questions
listed below)?
o
What is the current amount and status
of that judgment?
·
Have you ever been sued for breach of contract or
nonpayment of debt?
o
If yes,
how many times (please list each incident separately and
include answers to all of the questions listed below)?
o
What was the hearing date of the
suit?
o
In what State and County was the suit
heard?
·
Do you have a questionable credit history resulting in low
credit scores (i.e. chronic late payments of debt)?
o
If yes, can you provide satisfactory explanations for items
damaging credit?
·
Have you ever discharged debts through bankruptcy or
mortgage default?
o
If yes, how many times (please list each incident separately and
include answers to all of the questions listed below)?
o
What were the dates of the bankruptcy and/or mortgage default?
