WHY do ex-offenders check the box "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"

[Major Nikon]

40. My grandfather had a different take on that

Keep in mind this was during the depression, but he had some pretty interesting stories about lying on job applications. He said whenever he was asked if he could do something, he always said yes. His logic was that by the time they figured out he couldn't he already had the job and at least a chance to prove himself. His most interesting story was one where he got a job as a singing waiter in Chicago.

As a manager I've ran across a few instances where people have lied on their job applications. It does cause us to seriously consider whether or not we want to retain the employee, but the reality is when you find a good employee you're not always so ready to fire them over something like lying on their job application. Everyone exaggerates their qualifications and it's really just a matter of how far some are willing to go. We don't keep people with felony convictions and we make it clear up front that we do background checks so most people don't even bother to lie, but it has happened a few times. I think it's tragic in some instances due to our country's willingness to put people in jail for drug convictions.

Something else that many managers don't talk about is that when you are wanting to fire an employee for whatever reason, you check their application. Since everyone lies to one degree or another on their application, it's one way to easily find a reason to terminate someone. I don't use this tactic myself because I think it's shitty and sends the wrong message to employees, but I know managers who do.