At some point in our careers as human resource professionals we run into employees who are hesitant to share personal information with us. As HR pros that makes us want to laugh and scream at the same time.
We have access to more information about you than your spouse probably knows. We have your name, birth date, social security number, address, past addresses, names of dependents, dependents birth dates, dependent’s social security numbers, marriage license, spouse’s name, spouse’s social history, spouse’s birth date, wage history, health insurance member number, credit history, driving record history, criminal history, college transcripts, disability history, certification numbers, etc., etc., etc.
We could take over your whole life. Adding one more piece of information to the mix doesn’t make a bit of difference to us because we just don’t care. We’re not out to get you. We’re not going to share your personal information with anyone. We’re not going to steal your identity. We don’t care about this information about you. Information may be power but in this case your information is safe.
December 2, 2008 at 8:59 pm |
As I read this, I thought about the IT dept. Trust me, the IT dept has access to the same amount of info as HR, if not more. The point is that both HR and IT are professionals – none of us are out to “get” you or would use the information in the wrong way, because that risks our careers.
December 5, 2008 at 3:10 pm |
At my previous job, one of the employers involved did not issue physical pay stubs for those with direct deposit. I had to pick up and deliver the few live checks – for brand new hires, the student employees (who all switched to DD once they learned they were eligible), and one regular employee. Said employee (science researcher, Gen Y) refuses to get direct deposit because she doesn’t trust Payroll with her checking account number. And this would be the same Payroll department that has her birth date, SSN, home address, and pay history on file? Instead, she was perfectly happy to have me leave her check in her boss’s mail cube in the department’s mailroom.
Sigh.
There were, of course, a few times when I wished employees were a little *less* willing to share personal information…
December 6, 2008 at 3:36 pm |
Monica – I’m always amazed at people who don’t realize that IT can see everything. But yes, just like HR they’re not going to do anything with the information.
Perrik – There seems to be one everywhere.
December 22, 2008 at 12:55 pm |
Is it possible some of these people have had their identities stolen? Given how little most people know about how easy a feat this is to accomplish, even after it’s actually happened to them, I wouldn’t blame them for a little misplaced paranoia.
THat said, I once worked for a company where a lady came into interview and refused to bring in her State ID # saying we were going to give it to the aliens. SHe also frequently made comments about the work being too hard and how she was going to bring in a gun. I suppose the difficulty of the work is subjective (really basic data entry) but I can’t quite figure out how the gun would have helped.
My point; different ends of a spectrum, I suppose.
December 22, 2008 at 7:25 pm |
Mouse – Uh, why was the woman hired?
January 25, 2009 at 9:36 am |
I always advise my clients to remove certain personal information from their resumes that may conflict with what a hiring manager would need to know during the hiring process. Even if they are volunteering it, the hiring manager may avoid them altogether so as to avoid the potential headaches down the road.
Of course, this is during the initial application process …
William Mitchell, CPRW
The Resume Clinic