employer policy to keep copy of social security card

I was denied a job at the local community college because I refused to allow them to make and keep a copy of my driver’s license and social security card. When I spoke with the Director yesterday he stated it was the policy of the business office and they would not bend on it. I offered to let the business office look at the documents but would not allow them to make copies. He spoke with the college president and someone in the business office and that was not acceptable.

Now this is just an adjunct job and I only took it because I enjoy teaching so it’s not going to break me to not have the income, but it is disappointing.

Can employers do this in North Carolina? I recently moved from Colorado and never heard of such a requirement. My full time employer didn’t require this. Is it because it’s considered a state government job? I submitted my valid US passport with the I-9 so that can’t be it. Does anyone have any ideas?

It's unusual but there's no law I'm aware of that would prohibit it.

Why on earth would you do this?

"I offered to let the business office look at the documents but would not allow them to make copies."

But why?

"Can employers do this in North Carolina?"

Sure.

"I recently moved from Colorado and never heard of such a requirement."

Never hearing about something doesn't mean anything.

"My full time employer didn’t require this."

So?

"Is it because it’s considered a state government job?"

Not necessarily.

There's no law that prevents an employer from requiring copies of these documents. (And I don't understand why you're objecting; at the very least, they absolutely need your SS#. What does it matter if they have a copy of your actual SS card?)

Because of payroll taxes (state, federal, SDI, UI, and a host of other contributions the employer is responsible for prior to giving the employee his/her net pay) I see nothing wrong with retaining copy.

It would be a hassle if the employee neglected to mention a name change, and other things to the employer.

The business office would not provide me with their security policy. They would not tell my why they wanted the copies, how long they would keep them, how they would destroy them, etc. The business office is a large open room; all of the file cabinets I saw were unlocked. The staff is students. Anyone could walk in, act like they new what they wanted and look through the files before any one was the wiser.

I value my personal information and don’t give copies of it without a valid reason. Their “policy” without purpose isn’t enough of a reason.

"... all of the file cabinets I saw were unlocked."

But that doesn't mean anything (even assuming you could somehow divine they were unlocked -- how you'd do that without every drawer being open, I don't know).

You're free to keep turning down job opportunities 'cause of stuff like this, of course. Thing is that they get all this personal information you're concerned about **anyway** -- the form it takes (copy of the card) should be irrelevant.

But even without copies, your social security number is on forms in those files. SO you are making a fuss over nothing if your only complaint is the photocopy.

This is a very routine practice and doesn't implicate any known laws.

I suspect that since you have an I-9, you're an alien of some sort and therefore may not be acquainted with record-keeping practices here, so I won't say you're being unreasonable. But in the future, understand that your driver's license and Social Security card are really basic identifying things and lots of employers will want copies of them for many many reasons.

It doesn't make any difference if they have the driver license number and ss number or whether they have a copy of the license or ss card.

Having the numbers in the files is the same risk (and not much of it) as having the photocopies.

Sorry, but I agree with the consensus that you are over-reacting and giving up opportunities because of it.

are, and have been since 1986, required of ALL employees, regardless of citzenship. No employer is exempt and they MUST have an I-9 on file for ALL employees, unless the employee was hired prior to November 6, 1986.

The fact that the employee completed an I-9 does not even remotely suggest that they are an alien.

Well, even though you submitted your passport for your I-9 form which is your eligibility to work in the US they still have to submit your W-4 forms to the Federal government for withholding taxes from your paycheck and maybe the business office has their own policy of separately verifying social security number and identity for accuracy. Who knows?

Either way it is legal to make copies of your drivers license and the social security card and deny you a job for refusing to provide the documentation.

I used to work as a database administrator in a community college.

We required a copy of those documents to cut down on mistakes. People often write down the wrong number on the application, or a wrong number gets copied from one form to the other.

So, we needed a "primary" source of data, namely the photocopy of the actual SS card and actual drivers license, which could be referred to if there was a discrepancy between different records. That happened fairly often, unfortunately. As the DBA I, personally, had to query the database for inconsistant SSNs and resolve any issues. I did that routine about once a month, and almost always referred to the original application photocopies for resolution.

As for the file cabinets being accessible to students, please believe me that in our office we had strict rules about who could so much as touch a file cabinet, or who could so much as touch a file. It made things difficult, as often we would hire student workers to assist us. A student worker could not touch certain files, so we employees had to retrieve and re-file things ourselves, something that a lower-paid non-managerial clerical worker would do in any other office. We all had lockable desk drawers and lockable offices, and any sensitive files were locked away when away from our desks, even when we were away for a few minutes.

So it is. That's interesting (and a little embarrassing). I must have been thinking about some other form called I-something.

is embarrassing that lawyers don't know this. Employers ask for social security copy and ID or driver license because they are more ignorants than others.

Read what says behind your social security card!! and ID or driver license only arm forces can hold them and give it back to you, every one else just can "only look at"

If you are an employer take the number from what you see and fill up forms for background check, I-9, and W-4.

Ask for driver license # and call warrants in the city court to check if your future employee have any ticket or something else if he/her is going to drive a company car. Some times (always) background criminal record are not up to date. What a surprise right?