Posted on 11/29/23
| News Source: FOX45
A new report by Baltimore's Office of the Inspector General revealed that a worker in the Department of Public Works created a fake job offer to try to get a raise at their current job.
According to the report, the department was interested in matching the offer from another government agency to keep the employee. But when the Department of Public Works contacted the other government agency about the offer, that agency told DPW that the offer appeared fake, wrote Inspector General Isabel Cumming in her report.
The offer letter listed an annual salary of $100,435. When the Office of the Inspector General examined the letter, the document contained text boxes with comments connected to the DPW employee's user name, according to investigators.
DPW fired the worker, according to Cumming's report.
After the employee's termination, the inspector general's office learned that the worker had been listed as "eligible for rehire."
Human Resources at DPW told the inspector general's office that they mark all workers as "eligible for rehire" because they were unaware of situations that would make someone intelligible to be rehired.
Further investigation revealed that the city's Department of Human Resources "does not have a specific policy that determines when an employee is permanently not eligible for rehire." Leaving a job with the city not in good standing does not permanently ban a person from future jobs with the city, according to Cumming's report.
ALSO READ | Baltimore City Schools failed to make $5 million in retirement contributions to hundreds of employees: IG reporthe Department of Human Resources told the inspector general's office that it is reviewing the termination function in the city's payroll software to help clarify the situation.
Cumming said it was noteworthy that DPW attempted to verify the worker's job offer independently and that the city should review its criteria for determining the possibility of rehiring a worker in order to establish clear policies.
In DPW's response, Interim Director Richard Luna said that the department plans to strengthen its verification process to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
"We are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability among our employees, and this action reflects our dedication to maintaining those principles," said Luna in DPW's written response.