Should I fire this guy because he bought his degree from the internet?

Discussion in 'Business & Economics' started by Digital Zombie, Jan 14, 2006.

  1. Digital Zombie Registered Member

    Messages:
    3
    Hey guys, long time member with a new account here because I lost my passowrd.

    A couple years ago I hired a guy named Thomas as a senior tech for a small airport I run in California. He always seemed like a pretty competent worker. Thomas had great personal skills, came into work on-time, and pretty much completed projects better than any of the other techs in our facility. He seemed like a pretty intelligent guy, actually. I’ve even had dinner with his wife and young daughter on occasion. I generally consider him a friend.

    The other day I invited him to my house to hang out and have a few drinks. At one point in the evening we were shooting the shit and talking about the worst things we’ve ever done in our lives. I regaled him with a tale about how I stole expensive clothes from department stores as a teenager and he told me about how he once sent explicit pictures of his cheating ex-girlfriend sodomizing a toothbrush to her parents. I laughed and passed him another drink.

    I guess he was getting a little too tipsy because a little later he related a story about how he got his college degree in philosophy. We don’t require college degrees, but we generally hire and give greater pay to candidates with the degree over the candidate without one. Thomas said that he bought it off the internet for $450 from some website called http://www.diplomaforge.com and listed it on the resume he sent my secretary. I’ve heard this website discussed on these forums a few days ago. Apparently they represent universities who grant degrees based on “work history” and “life experience.” Now I don’t know what to do. Company policy is to terminate people who lie on their resumes, but he doesn’t seem like that bad of a guy. The website he got his degree from looks like what they’re doing is pretty unethical since there’s no coursework involved. But I guess the degree is technically legal. Should I fire him because he bought his degree from the internet instead of attending a regular university?

    What he did was pretty crooked. I think I might decide to go ahead and fire him over this. If you were his employer what would you do?
     
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  3. Communist Hamster Cricetulus griseus leninus Valued Senior Member

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    Why should you? He's a good worker, right? A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.
     
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  5. Fafnir665 You just got served. Registered Senior Member

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    Seems legit.
     
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  7. spuriousmonkey Banned Banned

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    24,066
    No, firing him would be immoral. You treated him as a friend. Asked him something personal. You shouldn't have if you are planning on using it against him. It is a big responsibility to become friends with staff. He shouldn't have told you, but if you don't see him as a friend you shouldn't have asked.
     
  8. leopold Valued Senior Member

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    17,455
    it would take more than one lie for me to fire someone.

    but on the other hand there are other people who worked hard to get their education

    in my honest opinion i would fire him
    because you will never be able to trust him.
    do you wonder what else he has lied about?
     
  9. analbeads "loosen up" Registered Senior Member

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    320
    I wouldn't fire him. He confided in you as a friend, and if he is a good worker and loyal to your company, then keep him. Good employees are difficult to find these days.
     
  10. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    24,690
    You have earned his trust and he confided in you. It certainly puts you in an awkward position but the only honorable thing to do is stand by him. This is not Japan. Loyalty to a friend in our society trumps loyalty to a company. (I assume you're an American but I believe the other anglophonic countries have the same priorities. The British may put country before friendship, but not company loyalty.)

    How many dishonorable things has your company gotten away with, hmmmm?

    Life in America is one long test to see how well you can learn to cheat the system. Everything from income tax to the "fifteen items or fewer" line in the supermarket. We don't sell our friends out just because they broke a rule, we're more likely to celebrate them.
     
  11. QuarkMoon I Registered Senior Member

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    773
    It was legal for him to put it on his resume. So if you fired him, expecially after you are friends and he felt you guys were close enough to tell you so he will be pretty pissed off, he will just sue you. And you say he is a great worker, so i don't see a problem here. Keep him, you avoid legal trouble and you keep a great worker (in your own words).
     
  12. btimsah Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    665
    Yes, and once you do - turn yourself in for stealing those expensive clothes years ago.

    You must be a really great person. You invite this guy over to share your deepest darkest evil deeds you've done in your life and you want to fire him over it.

    Pathetic.
     
  13. Baron Max Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    23,053
    Yeah, that's the part that would bother me greatly. I've fired several employees in the past who've lied to me about something ...only to find out later that they'd also been lying about lots of things that I didn't even know about!

    I'm not nearly so concerned about the degree issue because he's been a good employee and done a good job so far. The degree is just a piece of paper at that point. But the lies are a bad sign ...I've never known a lie who didn't lie about lots of things! Lying becomes a habit ...and it's a difficult habit to break because most often they have to lie again to cover that first lie ...and lies usually become a necessary part of their lives.

    Fire him and don't look back.

    Baron Max
     
  14. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    5,306
    I don't see any mention of this guy lying on his resume all because he didn't acquire his degree through a university. No need to fire him.

    - N
     
  15. Xerxes asdfghjkl Valued Senior Member

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    3,830
    This sounds more like an advertisement, but let me just say that if I were your boss, I'd fire you for asking managerial questions on a discussion forum.
     
  16. Hapsburg Hellenistic polytheist Valued Senior Member

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    5,224
    Blackmail him into working harder.
     
  17. As I believe several people have already mentioned, you took it upon yourself to engender this mans trust in a personal situation which he reciprocated only with the truth - he actually hasn't lied to you in the slightest.

    He may have bent the truth when applying to some anonymous company at the time he didn't work for, but to you he relayed only the Gods Honest.

    And you're what, you're feeling betrayed? :bugeye:

    Dear God man, you've got a good worker, a man who actually enjoys and does his work, a man you're prepared to extend a personal degree of friendship towards - and you're think of canning him because he lied on his application - or - is it really because, if some one higher up the chain found out about it and he was still around you're arse would be on the line over it and you're not actually sure you're prepared to cover for him.

    Be honest with yourself.

    If the man's the asset you describe him as, firing him under these circumstances opens up a can of worms you do not under any circumstances want to stick your privates in - if you go for the chop, you're going to have to get him on some other grounds, not these. You obtained this information in a situation of confidence, you will be setting up a law suit.

    Not cheap, not without mess. He's got a wife and kids, he'll have no choice other than filing a suit.

    Best advice - you like the guy, he's a good worker - make the problem go away. Get him qualified legitimately.

    He's been nothing but straight with you, you in turn owe him the courtesy of being straight with him - tell him the situation, tell him the truth, work the problem through - if him being actually unqualified for the pay makes him a liability, explain that to him but also explain, if he's prepared to actually put the hours in for real, to make up the lack of qualification out of his own pocket - the alternatives being....

    If he refuses, then you know what to do. But give the man a chance, he has, after all, only shown you candour and honesty.

    Bear that in the forefront of your mind before you decide to do anything.
     
  18. QuarkMoon I Registered Senior Member

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    773

    LOL! That's the right answer.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  19. Quigly ......................... ..... Registered Senior Member

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    Don't fire the poor chump. We've all done something ignorant in our lives, but as mentioned before. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. If you do fire him, I hope the next guy is really an incompetent fool with a degree because it would teach you a lesson.
     
  20. SoLiDUS OMGWTFBBQ Registered Senior Member

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    1,593
    A friend of years and you'd fire him over a technicality like this even in the face of his current performance ? You're not worthy of his friendship.
     
  21. 0scar J'aime La Moutarde Registered Senior Member

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    "Hey guys, long time member with a new account here because I lost my passowrd."
    "This sounds more like an advertisement"
    I think your right
     
  22. Mosheh Thezion Registered Senior Member

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    2,650
    does he do his job???

    does he do it well???

    is he able to do the job??

    thats should be all that matters.

    -MT
     
  23. Communist Hamster Cricetulus griseus leninus Valued Senior Member

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    3,026
    This, if an advert, is much more subtle than normal.
     

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