Easy Solutions are So Tempting, And So Often Wrong

I believe it was the late "Sage of Baltimore", H. L. Mencken, who coined this phrase: "There is always an easy solution to every human problem -- neat, plausible, and wrong."

There are so many situations for which that line is apt, aren't there?

I thought of it again today, reading an article by Stephanie Clifford and Jessica Silver-Greenberg in today's New York Times, "Retailers Track Employee Thefts in Vast Databases".

Employee theft -- euphemistically known as "shrinkage" -- is an old, stubborn, problem. Even if you catch a pilfering employee, it can be difficult to get a local prosecutor to take the case, especially if the amount stolen is small -- a $50 shirt, say, or a box of chocolates. So employers generally fire the employee and leave it at that.

Technology has come up with one solution: vast databases of employee information which are used by major retailers as part of the background check on potential new employees.

The solution seems neat and plausible: if you are hiring a salesperson for Company A, you would like to know that I was fired from Company B for stealing merchandise, wouldn't you?

Ah, but -- to coin another phrase -- the devil is in the details.

The databases "often contain scant details about suspected thefts and routinely do not involve criminal charges." But the information that is there "can be enough to scuttle a job candidate’s chances". And there are few ways for an individual to correct the inaccuracies that are in the database.

The information often comes from "informal" interviews conducted by the employer rather than from a legal proceeding, where due process -- among other things -- provides a measure of protection to the employee.

The current system seems almost perfectly designed for abuse. With no easy route for redress, some of the most vulnerable employees are most at risk. Completely innocent, they may find their future employment blocked.