Kenyans Ways OfUsing Fake Documents to LandJobs. HR Speaks Out

By Jane Gakaria, The Tuskys Supermarket chain recently made headlines for asking their employees to get their academic certificates verified by the Kenya National Examinations Council. This was after the management conducted an internal human resource audit which revealed that several employees secured their jobs using forged documents. The matter has since moved to court. This issue raises the very important question of just how far are employees willing to go to get the job? And what repercussions do they face should they get caught? I spoke to Liza Shaka, the HR Manager of Monarch Insurance Ltd. for more clarification. So are such fraudulent cases common? “No, in my opinion I don’t think so but I do think they are gradually rising.” And has she ever been witness to such? “No, but I have heard of such cases from my peers. The worst two being when an employee hadn’t graduated from university and they faked a university degree. They then got hired for the fresh graduate position and it was only six months later that the bank that had employed him found out.” The second was when an employee faked their pay slip from a previous employer claiming he was earning a high salary, and so the current employer was to match it or they’d leave. Woe unto him that the employer did do a background search and found out that the employee wasn’t paid as much as he’d claimed and did get fired. So how do employers know that the employee is lying? Well, there are obvious signs to look out for. “First, trust your gut feeling. When you’re at the interviewing stage and get the feeling that the employee is lying about something, that should be a cause for concern.” Two, as with any documentation there are various ways to prove that they are authentic. For example when you lift certain certificates up to a light source, some contain hidden seals underneath, so if there’s no seal you know it’s fake. The colour and texture of certain documents does also come into play. If a particular document should be pink and light in texture, but yours is red and thick, that’s a dead giveaway. Three, consulting the respective institutions. Employers can consult institutions like Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to verify the authenticity of employee certificates or consult the indicated universities to prove whether the employee did attend such institutions. Four and most importantly, employers should do a thorough background search on prospective employees before hiring them. “Don’t hire them and waste your training resources, then start crying foul when you realize that their certificates are fraudulent”. As for employees she does caution that they should always be honest. “There’s no point in claiming you have a particular skill on your CV but when I give you an impromptu test, you automatically fail”. Lying she states, isn’t worth the trouble it is. “You’ll lie and constantly be forced to remember what you lied about or in a worst case scenario you could lie to one interviewer during an interviewer and meet the same interviewer somewhere else and panic because you fear your current answer won’t much your previous one.” Furthermore, if you do get hired and the company does find out, as a repercussion, they could decide to blacklist you from ever working for them. Worse still you could have your picture appearing in the newspaper as a warning to others or even end up in jail should the company pursue such legal matters. So is there any hope then for employees who may not have the papers but do have the skills required? “Yes, actually. If you do have the experience I’d be willing to hire you but I’d definitely need to do a more concrete thorough background search on you as compared to other employees with papers.” Though she does state that having credible employer letters confirming your services could also prove fruitful. “Not having the papers wouldn’t be a reason not hire you especially if you’re the best fit for the job and have a great attitude.” She wraps up by stating that employees should stick to the truth and be honest. Lying becomes too much work and when found out; it will be a big blow to your credibility. In conclusion, realize that you don’t need to personally experience everything so that you can learn from it. Take a leaf from the Tuskys employees experience and be honest or else you could be risking not only your job but also committing career suicide.