Female Forum

It’s been about 5 years since I was hired by my current employer and all has been well up intil now. Before I got my job here, I was fired from my previous employer for misconduct. It was my fault and I felt so bad and stupid, but then did something real dumb. To get my job, I felt that being fired would disqualify me, so I lied on my application. I told the interviewer also, that I was laid off due to a decline in business. Actually, things are still okay, except that there may be new information about my employment history. Without getting into long details, there’s a good chance that my boss will find out about my falsified information.
Obviously, if I get caught, I’ll be fired. There’s a chance I’ll never get caught, but if I do… Another thought is if I confess what I did, maybe my exellent work performance will make up for it and I’ll just get a reprimand and keep my job. Rules are rules, and by confessing, even after 5 years, I could still be fired. Not sure what to do and would love some feedback.

J.

If you think there is a good chance that you will get caught out and fired as a result I would confess, your boss will respect you more for your honesty and ease your concience.

Five years is a long time people have time to form their own opinions, I presume you have a contract and if you do keep quite and get caught well it will not look good but I think you would still have a good case in a tribunal if the worst comes to the worst.

Maybe your so worried as your so close to the situation try looking at the bigger picture how would you losing your job effect the company, is firing you over a mistake you made so long ago worth them having to retrain a member of staff when your work is excellent?

In your situation I would probably leave it - but of course I don’t know all the details here - unless of course I was fairly sure the situation was going to end up in me getting fired.

as kezflake says, if you think the chances are they you will be found out, then be upfront and honest, thats more likely to work in your favour.

if the chances of your being found out are really quite slim,perhaps leave it be.

Why not wait and see what happens?  Your boss might not be especially bothered after all this time, especially if you have a good work record.  For all you know he might already know, and consider your mistake in the past.

Thank you all for your posts. I will need to decide how to proceed from here, as my boss returns back from his business trip today. It’s nice to know that you all feel that I’m not one that’s doomed to be fired. I cannot tell you how nervous I am right now and will need to make a descision soon. Thanks again for the help!

Jennifer.

I was suspended today. :( I’m afraid this is not going to go very well.

Sorry to hear that Jennifer_Y, do keep in touch and let us know how it goes.

I am really sorry to here this Jennifer, I hope you are ok, I know you haven’t told us all the details but it sounds a little petty if they do fire you after 5 years.

Did you actual confess or was you found out?

Stay strong x

Just to update… I was fired yesterday afternoon. Thanks to all that posted and offered advise and encouragement.

Oh Jennifer, I’m sorry, now give yourself a break, take a couple of deep breaths, and start thinking about the next jobs you are going to apply for.  They probably didn’t deserve you as an employee.  If it is any consolation, I went through a patch in the eighties, when I used to make sure I said those magic words ‘I resign’ before any of my bosses sacked me.

And some of the stories I could tell you . . .

One little twerp followed me into the stationery cupboard (!) twanged my bra strap and shushed me when I shrieked!  Going back into the main office everyone was falling about laughing.  I walked back out through the office door, up the stairs, with little twerp in hot pursuit, but since he was like the michelin man it was no contest.  One flight of stairs above him my riposte was ‘try that again and you’ll go back home to your wife with a black eye’.  He didn’t know whether to believe me or not.  My managers’ attitude ‘had fun then did you?’.  I had the misfortune to report to both Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Plenty more anecdotes from my memory files!

I am so sorry and shocked to here your news, like I said I think you may stand a very good chance in a tribunal, depending on your job type and what happened all those years ago there may be set in stone legal reasons why your employer had to fire you but otherwise I would get legal advice and figth this.

Don’t know were you are from if you are from the UK then try community legal advice or citizens advice if your not from the UK then check the links out you may know of something similar in your area.

I would seriously fight this

Unfortunately, Jennifer does not come from the UK, or I think her story would be rather different.  Mind you I still think her bosses are prats!  Not that I’m small minded or anything    

Listen Jennifer, Whats done is done so wait and see what would happens and dont blame yourself coz we do many stupied things

when we are under pressure..