A DUI can be embarrassing, and if you currently hold a job, you might wonder if that DUI could end your employment. In that case, it’s possible that you may wonder if you even need to tell your employer about the DUI. Could it just be easier to hide the DUI from your employer? Here’s what you need to know about the process of legally keeping a DUI from your employer.
When Do You Need To Disclose a DUI?
First, it’s important to know when you do need to disclose your DUI. The good news is that there are only a few cases in which you have to disclose a DUI. That includes these three cases.
- Your Job Requires You To Operate a Vehicle
If your job requires you to operate a vehicle, you have to tell your employer if you get a DUI that impairs your ability to drive. Most DUI cases include some amount of license suspension, which means you’ll be legally unable to drive for a time. That means any new DUI charges will likely need to go to your employer immediately.
- Your Job Contract or Employee Policy Requires You To Disclose a Criminal Record
If you’re under a job contract that requires you to disclose any criminal record, or your company’s employee policy mandates criminal disclosure, you’re going to need to tell your employer about your DUI. This is true whether you have a DUI already on your record or if you get a new DUI. Even if you don’t drive as part of your job, you’ll still have to disclose this information if it’s part of the agreement you signed when you became part of a company.
- You Hold a Professional License That Tracks Arrests and Convictions
If you work in a profession that requires licensure, you might need to disclose arrests or convictions to the licensing board whenever they happen. This can happen for all sorts of licensed professions, ranging from doctors to nail technicians. It’s important that you check your license requirements to see whether you need to disclose your DUI.
When Do You Not Need To Disclose a DUI?
On the other side of the board, it’s a good idea to know when you don’t need to disclose a DUI. These are typically the two times that you won’t have to tell your job about a DUI:
- Your Job Doesn’t Require It
If your job doesn’t fall under one of the three cases listed above, you probably don’t have to tell your job about a DUI. For example, if your job contract doesn’t require that you disclose criminal records, you don’t operate a vehicle as part of your work, and you don’t hold a professional license that could be impacted, you may not have to tell your work about the DUI.
- It’s Been Sealed by a Court
The other option is if your DUI has been sealed by a court. There are many ways to do this, including deferred sentencing, expungement or sealing processes. However, in all of these cases, you need to make sure the option is available in your area, you’ve talked with a lawyer to do it, and you’re able to complete the steps necessary to have the court seal your record.
How To Hide or Mitigate a DUI Sentencing Effectively
Whether you’re trying to get a court to seal a DUI sentence or you’re trying to prove to a potential employer that you’re safe to hire, you’ll want to prove that you’re no longer a threat to other people. That may mean going to a residential alcohol program, seeing a therapist, or even submitting to random testing over a few months. It’s also a good idea to check your record with PeopleFinders.
With PeopleFinders, you can check to see whether your DUI records still show up on a background check. If you’ve sealed the DUI sentence and it doesn’t show up on the background check, you can rest assured that your employer won’t know about your DUI, and you won’t be legally required to report it.
Conclusion
A DUI sentence can be embarrassing and upsetting, and it can be expensive to get out of, but it’s possible to overcome it. No matter who you are, a DUI sentence doesn’t have to spell the end of your career. With a bit of help from the courts and PeopleFinders, it’s possible to manage your DUI sentence.
Image Attribution: Nomad_Soul – stock.adobe.com
