Having to remove someone from the employment roster is never an easy or pleasant thing. Regardless of the circumstances that prompted the removal of the employee, termination is not something that employees willingly accept. For many, choosing to spite the employer for being terminated is not unheard of, and one of the more common ways terminated employees spite their employers is by choosing to keep their ID cards.
Other employees choose to keep their ID cards out of a sense of sentimentality, although this does not make it any more acceptable than if it were done out of spite. The trick to getting them to surrender their ID card before they leave the office permanently lies in making them understand a few important considerations:
Inform them of clearance requirements
Returning the issued ID badge is part of the clearance requirements that employees need to accomplish before they are cleared to leave and receive their last paycheck. It is imperative that employees understand that unless they complete their clearance procedures, they cannot claim their last paycheck, and they will not receive their clearance certification. An employee who has not been cleared also runs the risk of still being liable for any office equipment or property issued to them that has not been accounted for.
Invalid ID cards are illegal
There have been many instances wherein people get in trouble because of having presented an ID card or ID badge that is deemed invalid because they are no longer employed at the company stated on the ID. In some cases, the company may even claim that they were false represented by the holder of the invalid ID, which could lead to legal troubles for the bearer. Sometimes, they don't even need to present the ID itself for it to be deemed invalid. Simply finding it on their person could be grounds for legal action, as some companies may claim that the ID is company property which was not returned when the employee left.
Collected ID cards mean uncleared employee
Most, if not all companies, require that a prospective employee first be legible for employment before they proceed to hiring them. This means that they must first be cleared from their previous employment. Having an ID from a previous employer could raise a red flag with the new employer, as this could mean the employee has not been cleared yet, and thus not legible for new employment. Making a habit of collecting ID cards from previous employers could be worse as this could be taken as an indication that the person in question has a habit of not following the proper clearance procedures, perhaps due to the fact that the person has pending concerns with previous employers which have not been settled. Sometimes even something as petty as keeping the company-issued ID holder could be grounds for not being cleared, and prospective employers may not always be willing to overlook this, as it could be viewed as an act of theft.
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