Asked to sign untrue statement upon resignation from job

[quincy]

I've never applied for unemployment in my life. Plus I DID have to pass a background check when I got this last job in April. So if there is something dating back to last December, it sure didn't impact my getting this job.
It's just weird that the same company that hired me in April is claiming that I was terminated in December. I wrote to the HR supervisor for the entire company and he said he would forward my email to someone to look into this. He did also state that he had no idea where this would end up though. The biggest hassle is that nobody at all so far has answered my question as to even what exactly this report is used for. It's very annoying but one of the reasons why I DIDN'T continue with this company is that I noticed a very bad habit on their part in keeping info to themselves, not only from employees but from customers as well. I asked several questions along the way and was ignored.
Not positive, but my feeling is that since I didn't stick around with this company long enough, I wouldn't ever use it as a reference when looking for another job anyway, so I may not have anything at all to worry about...unless there is some kind of national database of these reports that a background check may see. I am sure I could take legal action if and when this ever comes up and prevents me from getting a job, but my god, to have to go through being denied a job and having to explain it all etc. etc. What a hassle that may be!

The whole problem could have resulted from a simple transcription error, where your employment record was mistakenly confused with the employment record of another employee.

You can just refuse to sign any inaccurate form. If you actually have problems in the future with this, you can deal with it then. Leaving off this employer from your resume is certainly something you can consider.

Good luck.

 

[cbg]

No, I'm sure you hadn't. That was the nature of the fraud. My husband, who is semi-retired and who was self-employed for most of his life, received a notice of an unemployment claim in his name at an address where he hasn't lived for 30 years. (Relatives still live there which is how he came to know about it.) Not only has he never applied for unemployment, he's never even held a job where he would be eligible for unemployment. That didn't prevent someone from filing a claim in his name.

 

[Jay968]

I just received a phone call from the HR woman. She apologized profusely and said she had made a mistake!!
Good thing I am diligent and followed up with letter to her and her boss. She sounded like she got chewed out for the whole mess.

 

[cbg]

Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Jay968]

Thanks!

 

[zddoodah]

Any suggestions on where to go with this?

You can decline to sign (you're not obligated to sign anything). You can cross out the objectionable language and sign.

My fear is that whether I sign this or not, the part about having been terminated just may come back to haunt me one day. Are my fears justified?

Your fear relates to something that may or may not happen in the future. No one here has the necessary clairvoyance to hypothesize about whether or not your fears are justified.

Is it possible that this is something they send along to unemployment when they are told that an employee has applied for unemployment?

Given that you quit, you're not entitled to unemployment, and you said you have no intention of applying, so what's the point of this question? And of course, the employer will provide the unemployment authority with relevant documents if needed.

If I never mention them in a job application (I wouldn't anyway since I didn't work for them long enough) do I need to worry about this form?

No one here is in any position to speculate intelligently about your need (or lack thereof) for worrying.

I suppose I came here partly to get some advice as to whether or not I should consult with an attorney.

Your post indicates no need for that.

I suppose my biggest fear is that one day I will apply for a job someplace and a background check will show this erroneous information on me.

I don't think anyone is going to give much of a rip about a job you held for only a month.

 

[eerelations]

You can decline to sign (you're not obligated to sign anything). You can cross out the objectionable language and sign.



Your fear relates to something that may or may not happen in the future. No one here has the necessary clairvoyance to hypothesize about whether or not your fears are justified.



Given that you quit, you're not entitled to unemployment, and you said you have no intention of applying, so what's the point of this question? And of course, the employer will provide the unemployment authority with relevant documents if needed.



No one here is in any position to speculate intelligently about your need (or lack thereof) for worrying.



Your post indicates no need for that.



I don't think anyone is going to give much of a rip about a job you held for only a month.

Ummm, you might have spent a minute reading the responses to OP's question + OP's update before posting this. Would have saved you some trouble.

 

[quincy]

I just received a phone call from the HR woman. She apologized profusely and said she had made a mistake!!
Good thing I am diligent and followed up with letter to her and her boss. She sounded like she got chewed out for the whole mess.

Thank you for the update, Jay968.

I am happy that the one responsible for making the mistake has apologized for her error.

 

[quincy]

The issue is resolved.