Employers asking job seekers for W-2 or tax return

source sfgate.com

In a weak job market, employers have been asking job applicants for a lot of new information about themselves including, in some cases, their social media passwords. But Kevin T. of San Francisco was shocked when a prospective employer asked him to verify his salary by providing a copy of his W-2 form.

Corporate america has the upper hand and knows how to use it.

If they try to 'screw' you before they hire you just think of what lies ahead if you accept their job offer.

Ethical? I think not

Originally posted by oghamxx
source www.sfgate.com.../c/a/2012/05/03/BUMN1OBQJ6.D


When people wake up and show there bosses that it takes employees to run that business, then businesses will back off, show and let it be known that your family comes before a job, Work through out the year, but keep it limited, there are guide lines so you can pay taxes through out the year, and still stay under the amount so you don't have to file taxes at the end of the year.

When you show your government that that you are you and theirs then they leave you alone....

edit on 4-5-2012 by mytheroy because: (no reason given)

It's not entirely unheard of and probably is not be illegal. The only things on the W-2 or tax return that is not public record are your salary and possibly your social security number, and you have to provide the latter if employed anyhow.

Now, why ask for proof of salary? So a company can infer how likely you are to remain with the company if the economy should change. If you take a substantial pay cut to obtain the job, then the job market gets a boom in salaries you're more likely to leave for a more lucrative job.

Also, people are known to lie about their salaries and experience in order to attain higher wages.

So it's not all about the companies screwing the workers, as it's well known people try to screw the employers as well.

Originally posted by abecedarian
It's not entirely unheard of and probably is not be illegal. The only things on the W-2 or tax return that is not public record are your salary and possibly your social security number, and you have to provide the latter if employed anyhow.

Not quite true.

The W2 Also shows the employer's Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), which the Internal Reenue Service (IRS) considers Confidential information.

By providing a former employer's FEIN to a potential future employer, who has no right to know, nor need to know that number, the potential employee could be considered in violation of Federal and State privacy laws.

Originally posted by abecedarian

Now, why ask for proof of salary? So a company can infer how likely you are to remain with the company if the economy should change. If you take a substantial pay cut to obtain the job, then the job market gets a boom in salaries you're more likely to leave for a more lucrative job.

This reasoning always seemed odd to me.

It's like an employer wants to stay in the same braindead job for the same low wage until that employer is done with you then you're cast out.

God forbid you want something better and actually go get it.

Productivity is tied directly to happiness. If you as an employer beat your employees down at every turn you're going to end up with a half-assed group of negligent drones who just punch a clock through to the weekend.

Sure, there comes a time when you'll have a great employee who you wish you could pay more to keep but due to factors ranging from financial feasibility to union enforced "fairness" you may not be able to and that employee will likely seek employment elsewhere to get the earning he is actually worth but isnt that supposed to be the point of America?

I'd rather have a good employee for 6 months than some late-arriving half-assing neerdowell on the roll for 10 years.

On my resume, or when I fill out an application, I put the wages I expect to be paid. My thinking is, if I can make $10/hour under the table mowing people's lawns (that's pretty cheap too), then minimum wage is out of the question. I have a salary requirement and if that gets my resume thrown into the trash bin, fine, I wouldn't work for that company anyway. Now, if I was in a job interview and they asked for access to my tax info, or worse my social networking user name and password, I would first ask them the following questions.

Are you the business owner that signs the paychecks, the accountant that keeps the books, or just an HR person working for the business? If it is an HR person I'd say, "show me yours and I'll show you mine." The normal reply would be "You're the one looking for work, why should I show you mine?" I'd counter with "My tax information is between me and the IRS, you and your company have no business with that information outside of my SS #, and that will only given after I land the job."

If I'm actually talking to the business owner I might (a big maybe here) show them my tax forms but not let them keep a copy. In any case I'd never give them any social networking profile information what so ever, that's a total deal breaker and I'd walk right out after politely saying I can't work for them.

Putting a salary requirement on my resume, unless it's lower than what they are offering, will normally stop the process right then. I'm very resourceful and can get by through other means if I have too.

Asking to prove your last salary ridiculous, considering it is standard practice for previous employers to give prospective employers your date of hire, termination, and your salary when you left the company. That's pretty much the ONLY information employers can and do give out without running into problems with potential lawsuits.

If an employer asks you to prove this, they are either too lazy to follow up with your last employer or they are outright calling you a liar.

I would have made a photocopy with all information redacted then looked HR square in the eyes and said "You mad bro?"

Scoundrels!

They are simply looking to see if your opinion of your worth = what your last employer thought you were worth....meaningless.

I would (and have actually) walked out of interviews for this type of manipulation. I work in a very specific field with a very specific skill set. I know the market and I know what those skills are worth from boom times to bust...I will not concede this microscopy...either you agree the skills are worth this or you don't....the past is done and gone....today is what matters....

Example...Oil was once 75 bucks a barrel....do you think because someone was willing to pay 75 bucks a barrel in the past that you are going to be able to buy oil at 75 bucks a barrel today?...no way.

Your skill is your asset....for the love of all things good....DO NOT fall into this trap....your skill and your value is based on the here and now...not what you made a year ago or 6 months ago....things change and the "snake bite" employers need to face that...."no, there is no clever back door"

Originally posted by Zarniwoop
Asking to prove your last salary ridiculous, considering it is standard practice for previous employers to give prospective employers your date of hire, termination, and your salary when you left the company. That's pretty much the ONLY information employers can and do give out without running into problems with potential lawsuits.

If an employer asks you to prove this, they are either too lazy to follow up with your last employer or they are outright calling you a liar.

Good point here. It is also standard practice for the HR people to use dirty tactics to weed out undesirable employees like pregnant women, people with children and mature people with some grey hair.

The job has to be a good fit for the employee as well as the employer so putting forth what you expect from them is good for both parties involved. It should be mentioned that there is also an unofficial network of employers that share a blacklist of employees that they consider to be undesirable or even potentially a problem employee. I personally know some well skilled people who had to give up their career of choice because of this.

I witched jobs a month ago and the company didn't really ask for anything but I did have 3 day to prove I was legal. Did a drug test and they called and told me there was a problem. Aparently it was destroyed before testing theyre supposed to let me know when to go back but I haven't called to ask. The economy is good here

Originally posted by mikellmikell
I witched jobs a month ago and the company didn't really ask for anything but I did have 3 day to prove I was legal. Did a drug test and they called and told me there was a problem. Aparently it was destroyed before testing theyre supposed to let me know when to go back but I haven't called to ask. The economy is good here

You commy you!...How dare you think you can have a life outside of 8 to 5.....they want total control....even when you are not getting paid. Smoke a Jay....oh man...we can get you for the next 30 to 45 days....be afraid grashopper...be very-very afraid....

wtf man....how is it ok for the gov to NOT be able to infiltrate your personal life thanks to the aclu...but....your employer can make you toe a line 24/7? it's because of backdoor corporate sharing....the Gov can't test you...BUT...they can offer incentives through workmen's comp to get your employer to test you...and then the employer reports all results to the Gov't to get said Workmen's comp deductions....it is a scam folks....your freedom and liberty has been sold...

##SNIPPED##

Originally posted by abecedarian
It's not entirely unheard of and probably is not be illegal. The only things on the W-2 or tax return that is not public record are your salary and possibly your social security number, and you have to provide the latter if employed anyhow.

Now, why ask for proof of salary? So a company can infer how likely you are to remain with the company if the economy should change. If you take a substantial pay cut to obtain the job, then the job market gets a boom in salaries you're more likely to leave for a more lucrative job.

Also, people are known to lie about their salaries and experience in order to attain higher wages.

So it's not all about the companies screwing the workers, as it's well known people try to screw the employers as well.

edit on 5/4/2012 by abecedarian because: (no reason given)

Pure, unadulterated hogwash. When an organization makes an employment offer to a candidate, that candidate's job falls into a salary range. This is not to avert mutinies! It is a company's attempt to pay you less than what you're asking and what they'd otherwise offer.

This has been a bone of contention within compensation circles for more than 20 years now: do you pay the person, or do you pay the position? When companies want to get away with paying less, they pay the person. When they want to offer a salary that is competetive within the market but internally equitable as well, they pay the position. No flipping company has ever, ever used W2's from employees' previous jobs to determine who could potentially jump ship.

Originally posted by MichiganSwampBuck
It should be mentioned that there is also an unofficial network of employers that share a blacklist of employees that they consider to be undesirable or even potentially a problem employee. I personally know some well skilled people who had to give up their career of choice because of this.

It's worse than you know.

Information sales is big business. If you are not ubercareful what you sign at the doctor or dentist office, your personal medical records could be sold to the Information brokers. I was at an eye clinic in southeast Alabama and financial office employees tried to get me to sign a multi-page document of legalese .... 30 minutes after I had been given a general anesthetic. This was in addition to pages and pages of documents signed days earlier.

Once they have your signature to release your records, it is a short hop to the HR desks at your next potential employer. In the 1980's, I knew a very highly qualified lady that was interviewing for a programming position. Everything went perfect ..... until she volunteered that she was a cancer survivor. At that point, they could not get her out the door fast enough.

God forbid that you smoke!

I was at a job interview and in the HR office, the wall was plastered with smoking cessation programs and rules about not smoking. I'm sure I reeked from the home grown tobacco I was smoking on the 45 minute ride to the interview. Needless to say, I knew I didn't stand a chance in hell to land that job and felt like I should leave before completing the paper work. I went ahead with the interview anyway, but I don't believe I even received a rejection notice in the mail after that. It was a position on a newspaper and they were in the process of reorganizing because of the loss of subscriptions due to the internet so that was probably a dead end career anyway. Sour grapes anyone?