Very Nearly a Life Lesson

[robs1]

By all reports he had a fantastic trial week and would have made a great addition to the firm but its his background that isn't good at all

Do you know what you were told is the truth or someone with a grudge telling tales?

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Difficult. you cant get a dbs check done for any old job. And rightly so.

Not quite.

There are three levels of DBS check; basic, standard and enhanced.

The basic can be applied for by anyone, or asked for by a prospective employee for any job and will detail any unspent convictions.

The standard and enhanced can only be done in relation to specific jobs.

 

[Highland Farmer]

It's the nature of the beast, lower paid work attracts less than truthful characters. If I were to recount all the stories of the guys who worked for my Dad over the years then no-one would believe them, as fact really is stranger than fiction. One thing I will say is to check any license or certificate that is required before letting them do any job and don't take their word for anything. 30+years ago, one middle aged gent who worked for my Dad for a little while claimed he used to drive HGVs around Europe for years. It should of been a warning when he "forgot" to engage the handbrake and allowed a tractor to roll down a bank into a building, but he then caused a minor accident on the road and my Dad was fined for allowing someone to drive without even a provisional license. But if you spoke to this guy and heard his stories about his HGV driving and what he'd done, you'd swear he was genuine. Seeing the totally unnecessary lies people tell at a young age taught me to be completely cynical about the human race.

 

[TheTallGuy]

Be very careful using DBS checks to select prospective employees as blanket bans on ex-offenders can lead to issues and can be challenged. You need to have a formal policy in place & that policy needs to be communicated to potential applicants. Any barring must be appropriate & proportionate to the role involved and the convictions. You also cannot refuse employment due to convictions that are "spent".

Lots of useful information here...
https://www.gov.uk/employers-checks-job-applicants

 

[JeepJeep]

We had all sorts employed where I was the last employed... and they were driving the public around.

One rocked up to his interview and showed his ankle tag... No, bother he's breathing and can sit in the seat was the attitude. Nice enough lad as well.

A few weeks later he returned with his nose bloodied and no story with it.... A few weeks after that call from the police to retrieve an abandoned vehicle of ours that had been parked on bus lane for a few hours... Sketchy stories drifting in but no real idea of what had happened. Serious Road Rage and Assault and he'd been carted off from where they stopped him.

Another one, Nicest guy you could come across placid middle-aged chap, one afternoon serious Road Rage Incident. Seriously damaged another Chap and carted off , court case fine. Still employed at another yard off the radar.

Another one... Like a SAS raid one night... Police descended on the yard carted him off... Not seen since. Historic crimes.
That was probably the 4th time the Police descended on the place to haul somebody off as well.

Couple with no license... Failed to bring it in but sent them to work anyway.

I know a lot of people in that industry as well and Drivers would often drift about from one company to another... often through no choice of their own due to constant accidents or sticky fingers.

We had a TomTom drum network set up where it would be "Do you know X" yeh "he won't be in on any early Monday" "Sticky fingers" "Day Dreamer you'll buzz off him" Or " X is coming to you for an interview, Top lad he'll be no bother"

They'd often still take the characters they'd been warned about only for the superstar to disappear with a Week's takings sometimes £2k plus a few weeks later or run someone over.

I think I have a kind of PTSD from that place with the whacky things that went on.

 

[DrWazzock]

It's the nature of the beast, lower paid work attracts less than truthful characters. If I were to recount all the stories of the guys who worked for my Dad over the years then no-one would believe them, as fact really is stranger than fiction. One thing I will say is to check any license or certificate that is required before letting them do any job and don't take their word for anything. 30+years ago, one middle aged gent who worked for my Dad for a little while claimed he used to drive HGVs around Europe for years. It should of been a warning when he "forgot" to engage the handbrake and allowed a tractor to roll down a bank into a building, but he then caused a minor accident on the road and my Dad was fined for allowing someone to drive without even a provisional license. But if you spoke to this guy and heard his stories about his HGV driving and what he'd done, you'd swear he was genuine. Seeing the totally unnecessary lies people tell at a young age taught me to be completely cynical about the human race.

My grandfather’s best HGV driver moved on and got a better paid job with the county council. Three weeks before retirement he was pulled for a defective indicator and it was discovered he had no driving licence whatsoever. Never take anything for granted. Though he was to be fair, a very good driver.

 

[czechmate]

Surprisingly, no one else has made the point, if I had a team of strangers working on my farm, I wouldn’t be sitting my kids in a tractor with them

 

[deleted user 436632456]

Do you know what you were told is the truth or someone with a grudge telling tales?

Very much true, he had made it into papers on a number of occasions and we did then run a background check to give him the benefit of the doubt.. it was all there.

 

[ollie989898]

It is an interesting issue and it is good that we have had the discussion on TFF, I don't recall a thread like it before here or anywhere else. I just wonder what the answer is for these people as it would appear the world is aligned against them if they ever genuinely intend to contribute to society again.

I would have to say, once again, that, sadly, a lot of the people who find themselves in prison or mental health institutions are there mostly because of greater failings in society itself as opposed to just themselves. I don't know the answer. I wonder if some of the international contributors do?

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

I just wonder what the answer is for these people as it would appear the world is aligned against them if they ever genuinely intend to contribute to society again.

This is why we have the rehabilitation of offenders act

 

[Landrover]

Many years ago my dad got chatting to a farmer from ‘the south’ at a farming function, and the guy mentioned that his neighbouring estate had just employed a “nice chap” as a farm manager from “up your way” (the Borders).
Dad looked him in the eye and told him to warn his neighbour, that this ‘manager’ had wilfully defrauded and bankrupted his previous employers and taken the family for every penny, with them losing their home and estate in the process.

I’ve just googled his name (and alias) and he’s now got a record as long as your arm, and had several lengthy stays in prison.
@Breakthru will know who I mean...

And no, knowing the devastation it’s caused to the defrauded family, I wouldn’t give him or any one else convicted of a serious offence a 2nd chance.

If it's who I think it is and I'm fairly sure it is, he's back around using another alias tried to buy some stuff off a friend of mine a couple of years ago. Then they twigged who it was and told him to bugger off !

 

[uztrac]

With courts giving people anonimity as the Bulger killers & others have received, it is getting difficult to get good employees unless you know them or their family.

 

[Scholsey]

With courts giving people anonimity as the Bulger killers & others have received, it is getting difficult to get good employees unless you know them or their family.

Chap from near here who was employed in agriculture for 30+ years was given a long sentence for worst possible sex crime you can imagine, not a single mention in the media, victim protection, the thought of someone like him rocking up looking for job having moved areas for a ‘clean sheet’ sends shivers down my spine.

 

[manhill]

Make sure plenty of bromide in the staff tea!

 

[kiwi pom]

A ministry of justice check is common for potential employees round here as is a pre employment drug test.

 

[betweenthelines]

If the convictions are "spent" you could find yourself in trouble if you hold them against an applicant.

I've had a chap apply for a job with a totally uncheckable work history that didn't look suspicious-worked abroad, self employed, previous employer ceased trading. He was even recommended by a current employee. He was a serial sex offender who my partner dealt with as part of her job, so I knew his name.

Had another employee who needed compassionate leave when his child died suddenly. Turns out he was charged with the child's murder, but I had to let him return to work as he wasn't yet guilty. He was convicted later.

Also had someone apply for a driving job who had a previous conviction for causing death by dangerous driving-the conviction was spent, so I had to ignore it.

The worst case though concerned a long term employee. We started getting calls "do you know X is a rapist, he has repeatedly raped his own daughter" This went on for a few weeks and everyone who took the calls was sworn to secrecy as "we've known X for years, he's a nice chap." X even bought his wife in to see the boss and vouch for him.

I spoke to my partner and she told me a whole list of things offenders say in these cases-blame the girl, say she's a slut (this is a 15 year old girl) blame his mates for leading her astray and having sex with her etc etc.

Anyway, one day X comes into my office, shuts the door sits down and says "She's known as blow job Jane (not her real name) at school" then goes on to say everything my partner said he would, while I had the most uncomfortable half hour I can remember listening to all the filth he came out with about his own child.

He was never charged, so we couldn't do anything.

 

[Cowmansam]

If the convictions are "spent" you could find yourself in trouble if you hold them against an applicant.

I've had a chap apply for a job with a totally uncheckable work history that didn't look suspicious-worked abroad, self employed, previous employer ceased trading. He was even recommended by a current employee. He was a serial sex offender who my partner dealt with as part of her job, so I knew his name.

Had another employee who needed compassionate leave when his child died suddenly. Turns out he was charged with the child's murder, but I had to let him return to work as he wasn't yet guilty. He was convicted later.

Also had someone apply for a driving job who had a previous conviction for causing death by dangerous driving-the conviction was spent, so I had to ignore it.

The worst case though concerned a long term employee. We started getting calls "do you know X is a rapist, he has repeatedly raped his own daughter" This went on for a few weeks and everyone who took the calls was sworn to secrecy as "we've known X for years, he's a nice chap." X even bought his wife in to see the boss and vouch for him.

I spoke to my partner and she told me a whole list of things offenders say in these cases-blame the girl, say she's a slut (this is a 15 year old girl) blame his mates for leading her astray and having sex with her etc etc.

Anyway, one day X comes into my office, shuts the door sits down and says "She's known as blow job Jane (not her real name) at school" then goes on to say everything my partner said he would, while I had the most uncomfortable half hour I can remember listening to all the filth he came out with out his own child.

He was never charged, so we couldn't do anything.

Sumet wrong in the water round your parts

 

[Hilly]

There is another side to this mind. If no one is ever prepared to employ anyone who has committed a crime, what is the long term solution to them forever being a drain on society because that is basically what will happen if they can't ever do any work.

On this forum there is often much talk about unmentionables who won't work and expect the state to pay for their existence. Here you have a guy who no one will allow to work? What is the answer?

Many of these people have in fact been failed by society at some point in the past.

Pedophiles need fed to the pigs not employed end of story .

 

[betweenthelines]

Sumet wrong in the water round your parts

I'll wager there's a similar percentage of scum bags around you, it's just that I am aware of who they are and you aren't!

 

[Cowmansam]

Quite possibly