Week 5 EOC: Stolen Valor

How would you handle the issue of stolen valor as an HR representative?

Being a veteran of the United States Navy myself, I would not take this situation very lightly in regard to finding employees for my business or a company in which I am hired to find qualified, competent, and able people to fill positions. There are experiences associated with military service and a level, of honor, loyalty and commitment with being a part of the service. The very act of pretending to portray these values without having actually taken part in these actions would test my patience as an employer or hiring manager and the core integrity of the person that is seeking the position offered. I feel that it does both parties a disservice by creating a false sense of what is expected of the person as a future employee.

While this may seem not to be a very important part of the position filling process, the employer will be taking into account whether they are being supportive of the employment of veterans in their company. If the people being hired as ex- or retired military are found not to be, then this will test the very virtue of the company that supports these individuals. As a representative of the company, people should model the values and morals of the company and its employees.

The employee would not be looked upon a valuable member of the company until demoted or let go of depending on the specific situation. If demoted, they would at least have the opportunity to gain back the trust of their fellow employees, management and the person that initially hired them. In business, your relationship with people is everything; therefore, a break in that relationship’s base would create a rift in that person’s career and the company that this person has represented.