Complaint Review: Stivers Staffing Services - Scottsdale Arizona

After graduating in May 2002 with a Marketing degree I was eager to establish a career. Finding permanent work was difficult at the time due to a poor economy and my lack of work experience. Finally I decided to use a temporary agency to help me find work, and I chose Stivers Staffing Services.

I really felt like I impressed the staff with my initial interviews and test results. Within a week I was working for the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. This temporary position lasted for nearly 3 months when it was supposed to last 2-3 weeks. Needless to say I made a positive impression with both Stiver's and the Mayo Clinic.

When I was initially spoken to about the position at the Mayo Clinic I had to take a drug test and sign a background verification form. The form asked to disclose any previous felonies over the prior 7 years. I didn't feel this would be an issue, even though I had a previous record from 11 years earlier.

After working at the Mayo Clinic for nearly 3 months I never realized that signing the background verification form would come back to haunt me; especially since it happened 5 months later! At this time I was well into my second temporary position through Stivers, and I was about to be hired on permanently. While conducting my routine weekly call to verify that Stivers had received my time sheet, an employee of Stivers mentioned that she had received some disturbing information on my background. She chuckled and told me how it was probably due to identity theft because it involved a large amount of restitution. Then she asked me if it was true and I told her yes. She said that the information could not be used against me in my current temporary position in Mesa.

I was completely shocked when I found out that Stivers had learned of my previous background. I had 4 felonies on my record from 11 years back. Yes, I did commit these acts and was found guilty in a court of law. I was only 21, young and stupid, and I have been paying the price for these mistakes ever since. I served my probation and I have paid my monthly dues and had a perfect record since then. I graduated from Arizona State University in May, 2002.... Magna c*m Laude with a BS in Marketing. I have an excellent credit rating, a clean lifestyle, a nice family, and a perfect track record during my entire 5 years on probation and 7 years since that time.

Still, I never lied about my past. The form I signed asked about my record in the past 7 years. If I had been applying for a position within a city government or a financial institution I would have been fingerprinted and probably not hired. Also, if the form I signed or the initial application had asked about my background outside of the previous 7 years, I certainly would have disclosed the truth. I honestly did not feel that I did anything wrong, unethical, or illegal. On top of that, I certainly know myself well enough to say that I am not a threat to any company; I have learned from my past mistakes and would probably be the most honest and ethical employee anyone could ask for.

Now lets get back to what happened...

After learning that Stivers had information on my background I was a complete wreck. I did not know what to do, because this had never happened to me before and I had already admitted to the truth behind my criminal background over the phone. Looking back, I should have quit the temporary job and spoken to Stivers in person. I was surprised that they did not mention my background to me ever again, and it certainly made working for them extremely uncomfortable. Every day at my job I was worried that Stivers would expose my criminal background.

After about two months my boss at the temporary job spoke with me and told me she was looking for someone with more experience. She walked by my desk without even looking at me and yelled at me to come in her office. When she spoke with me she was calm, and I cried. I was so upset because I really wanted to be hired permanently and felt that I had done an excellent job up to that point. My boss was an extremely difficult and demanding lady to work for, and I worked very hard for her while assisting nearly every department in the company. Still, I did my job well and didn't want to give up.

It took me a few minutes to collect myself in her office. I was told to take my time and make my rounds if I wanted, and to clean out my cubicle. Literally only 5 minutes later my temporary boss approached me and started acting nasty; telling me to be sure not to take certain items that weren't mine. Then a few minutes later she approached me and continued her unpleasant behavior. She became very loud, and she specifically told me that I probably wouldn't take my calendar because she had given it to me. She told me to take my nameplate and when I said that's okay she said "you may as well take it home because we're just going to throw it out anyways". She also told me that she had known for over a week when my last day would be.

I could not stop crying, and I cannot describe how humiliated I felt. She wouldn't stop making nasty comments and she was very loud. When I finally rushed out the side door she yelled to have a nice day. She absolutely could not contain her anger toward me; it was unbelievable how nasty she got. I was an emotional wreck, and it took me awhile just to start my car and leave the parking lot because I was shaking so bad.

The incident happened on a Friday, and I got in touch with Stivers the following Tuesday. I was puzzled that Stivers had not contacted me. Ironically, I had called Stivers the day before I was 'fired'. I spoke with Michelle and expressed my concerns about not being hired on permanently. I was stressed about the situation because it was apparent that my temporary boss had suddenly turned on me. It had also been 4 months and the job was a 3-month-temp-to-hire-position, and my temp boss assured me before that I would be hired on permanently. I had just put my nameplate up which had been recently ordered. I knew something was wrong yet Michelle had nothing to say to me, she acted as surprised as I did; yet she had nothing to say.

Anyhow, when I did call Stivers the following Tuesday the lady on the phone mentioned that she had no information about my losing the temporary job. I told her what happened and I was not contacted by Stivers again. I called the following week and spoke with Michelle again and the entire situation and she had nothing else to say. Michelle and I had built a rapport over our working relationship so I was comfortable talking to her about everything that had happened. She asked if I would be interested in any other positions, but when she asked I knew it was more of a formality than anything else. She treated me differently than before, just as my temporary boss had. It became very clear to me that there was much more to losing the temporary job than met the eye.

I knew that Stivers had disclosed my background to the temporary employer without discussing it with me first. It became so obvious by the way everything happened, and the way both my boss at the temporary job and the employees at Stivers were behaving. Everything was so hush-hush. With more reflection it is apparent that I would probably never be able to work permanently for the temporary employer because of the nature of work they performed. Still, Stivers should have contacted me first! Nobody should have to suffer the humility that I did. By not speaking with me they hoped I would believe I lost the temporary job for a reason other than my background.

After speaking with two separate employees at my temporary job and one employee at the Mayo Clinic, it was revealed to me that everybody essentially knew my background. I was not surprised to find that my background was revealed by Stivers, but I was obviously upset. It upset me even more because not only was the information revealed but also people who had no privy to the information knew about it. All confidentiality was broken.

I'm sure there are several legal reasons why Stivers claimed no knowledge of my losing the temporary job. What they did was completely unethical. Stivers should have brought me into the office and talked to me about my background. And yes I probably should have made the offer myself; it was not smart of me to continue working under unknown conditions.

It has been almost 9 months since I last worked for Stivers, and this is my first time expressing anything publicly beyond my immediate friends and family over the entire fiasco. I can't say that I'm looking for anything by sharing this story other than to get it off of my chest and to warn others not to make the same mistakes that I have. It is unfortunate that after building such a positive relationship with Stivers that I was treated so poorly. It is unfortunate that after working so hard to better myself that I had to face my past mistakes in such a humiliating manner. It is unfortunate that people can get to know me as a person and admire my qualities, ethics and values; and then they can treat me with such disregard and hostility.

This entire experience has truly helped me grow as a person, it is much much larger than simply losing a job due to a criminal background. I have learned to be more sympathetic to people with labels...whether due to race, religion, stature, income level, or otherwise. I now realize that the label of FELON will stick with me throughout my life.

I refuse to give up and succumb to my label, I have to use some creativity to pursue knew sources of income, and I am confident that I can still achieve financial success in life without working for somebody else. Who knows, maybe Stivers did me a favor...but i'm certainly not giving them an award for ethics in business.

Mike

Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.