False information in security check costs woman her job

Like there’s not enough to worry about, what would you do if a routine security check came back with an error that ultimately cost you your job? That’s the situation Eschol Amelia “Amy” Studnitz had to face, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Studnitz had been working for Corporate Mailing Services (CMS) since August 2008 as a senior accountant when the company was awarded a contract to handle mail for the Social Security Administration (SSA). This required a security background check that, for Studnitz, went woefully wrong.

The SSA sent CMS a letter stating that the background check showed Studnitz was “unsuitable” to work on the contract but didn’t specify what exactly made her unsuitable. CMS, in a glorious show of support, fired Studnitz, giving her just a few minutes to leave the premises.

Two weeks later, CMS received a letter from the SSA that backed her claim of innocence. There was no mention of the first letter in which she was deemed unsuitable.

You’re thinking that, well, now the worst part is over. If the U.S. government could actually come through the red tape with a correction, Studnitz would surely get her job back. But then you would perhaps be thinking of a made-for-TV movie, because in real life, it didn’t work out that way. Studnitz’s company refused to hire her back, citing unrelated infractions that supposedly took place while she was an employee.

Apparently, there was trouble brewing in the company’s relationship with Studnitz to begin with, but isn’t it scary to think a technical glitch could result in the loss of a job?