Getting fired for dishonesty

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #160051
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hey community!

    I’m working on my MAcc right now and we were assigned a case to discuss ethics in the workplace. In our case a new associate with great grades, great performance, was “counseled out” of a firm because she lied about having already taken the CPA. Her supervisor claims that it’s a direct reflection on her personal morals and that lying made her incompatible with the firm. Again, her work itself is better than average.

    Have you ever heard of something like this happening in your time with a firm? It would really help our discussion to get some professionals to share stories they have heard or an instance of this actually happening.

    Thanks!

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
  • Author
    Replies
  • #276860
    HighMileageDude
    Participant

    I think I remember reading about that exact case in my Masters in Accounting audit class as well.

    crazy story – yeah a slap on the wrist should have been it.

    #276861
    Mmilito
    Participant

    I think its the materiality of the situation at hand. When you think about it, she lied about a situation that influenced the decision of the person hiring her. This is not a small situation of someone calling in sick to attend a baseball game, which is more common and has less of an impact. What she said is something that makes a major difference in someones opinion of her. I work for a bank and were told at the beginning that if we bounce 3 checks we are fired, the reason being is that there are certain expectations about how we handle ourselves. More than likely being that she lied about it, it was a combination of factors that led to her being “counseled out”. A small amount of it may have been the distrust that the boss felt when he heard about it. Lieing about taking the CPA exam may not seem like much, however maybe there is more to the situation. In what way did she lie? Did she say she passed it or did she say she took it and failed it (thats a factor too, if you say you passed it and didn't its akin to claiming you have a degree when you don't)

    FAR 92
    AUD 91
    BEC 11/06/2011
    REG 02/01/2012

    #276862
    WhyEvenTry
    Participant

    My first instinct, if at a position of hiring, would be to do the same. I would not want someone working for me who was so quick to lie regarding their qualifications. If they were to say they passed the exam, and we went around advertising ourselves as a CPA firm with accredited employees, then we would be in a whole heap of trouble come our peer review. Or, in the case litigation pursued from the fake “CPAs” work, yikes!

    But, if she just said she took the test to “act like” she is pursuing the goal of becoming a CPA, then I think we have another story. I would at least inquire with the person to see why they did so. But, keep in mind, everyone lies about one thing or another. But, it’s how and what the person lied about. It’s one thing to tell your wife/husband that those pants don’t make them look fat. It is another to tell hiring personnel false credentials.

    BEC - 71, 74, 77 (Feb - 2011)
    FAR - 73, 78 (Feb - 2011)
    REG - 83 (Nov 2010)
    AUD - 71, 84 (May 2011) - Done!! CPA licensed in TX (July 2011)

    #276863
    Last_First_MI
    Participant

    If you lie about being a CPA you should be punished heavily, but yes as stated before materiality should play be in perspective too, but lying period to land a job is just plain wrong and I dont' care how good of a worker you are. This is a license to practice before the public and we are relied upon by the public to protect the public interest. If you lie about a professional certification that is a big no no. If the firm billed them out as a CPA this could open up even more problems, but the firm as any should do the due diligence to cover itself in confirming the statements of the employee especially with a professional license. Would a hospital hire a doctor based solely on their word?

    We work extremely hard to get these three letters after our name it should not be taken lightly.

    #276864
    jeff
    Keymaster

    People who lie at work deserve a second chance – somewhere else.

    Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

    #276865
    Study Chair
    Participant

    Chances are the previous employer (The Firm) required completion of a hiring package by the now-terminated employee (The Applicant). That hiring package likely contained questions regarding the applicant's work and educational background. If The Firm didn't design a good hiring package of documents, they don't exemplify maintaining a good Quality Control system.

    Assuming the information about the CPA Exam was gathered by way of that application package, the forms were signed by The Applicant under penalty of perjury. It doesn't matter WHY you would commit perjury. It matters that The Applicant did or did not commit perjury!

    Interesting topics and interesting comments.

    BEC 86
    FAR 87
    REG 86
    AUD 93 DONE!!

    #276866
    willbcpa
    Participant

    Wow, this one strikes a personal note with me. I worked for a small benefits firm for 5 years because they hired me straight out of college (something the local CPA firms wouldn't do). But they didn't have any CPAs in their office. When I left that firm for a more prestigious firm, one of the [many] reasons I cited was the presence of CPAs on staff that could certify my year of experience as required for my long-term goal of becoming a CPA. As a plot twist, I got pregnant after six months of working for the new firm. I discovered the good news in the middle of busy season. When I was fired at 38 weeks, one of the few [seemingly illegitimate] reasons cited was that I had not mentioned sitting for the CPA exam the entire year I was there.

    I'm not sure about the scope of your project, but my personal thoughts of the situation include many factors. First, my direct supervisor was a new partner and having a difficult time keeping up with the added responsibilities. In addition, she had a history of high turnover due to poor training (which my experience was supposed to remedy). She also shared with everyone her personal experience in trying to start a family, which sadly ended with a miscarriage and recent divorce. I felt for her, and still do, but does that excuse her behavior? Second, my project list always consisted of the more complex retirement plan administration on our team. While I did make mistakes, they were few comparatively when considering everyone on our team, including the supervisor/partner. And finally, my first “annual review” ended up being an exit interview, and plainly disclaimed that my areas for improvement were too many to list, but were not related to my knowledge of retirement plan administration.

    Long story short: I think my boss fired me for being pregnant. If taking the CPA exam was a real priority for the firm, I would think it would have been mentioned at some point before she showed me the door.

    I know I wasn't lying about pursuing the CPA designation, but I could see how it would appear. Nothing shows your ability to see a difficult project to completion like having that credential. But still, I have to agree with Study Chair, a solid Quality Control system would have prevented a lot of confusion. And if a company doesn't like you, there's not a lot you can do to keep from getting sacked. Likewise, if a company really adores you, there's little you could do to fall out of favor with them. I've run across bigger liars than that in my short experience in the real world… ethics and all.

    FAR -- Just getting started!
    AUD
    REG
    BEC

    #276867
    Trying Again
    Participant

    I knew a guy in my firm (big 4) that was “counseled out” for not disclosing a DUI from 10 years prior. He had passed the bar (post DUI) and was in good standing with the state bar association. He was recruiting to the firm by the lead partner in his group from a different nation firm. Full disclosure is always the best practice

    Licensed CPA since September 2011

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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