Do companies have non reference policies

ardinn

My mate just said he was after ringing an old work colleague looking for a reference, and she told him that she couldnt put her name to anything because the company she works for doesnt allow her to for legal reasons - given the fact the company is primarily american and it has been sued previously due to references being wrong or misleading - this seems very odd.

Was it just a polite way to say "I wouldnt give you a reference if you paid me"

Mike 1972

This is partially true.

Some companies wont put anything in a reference about what a good or bad worker one was but there shouldnt be any problem with confirming dates one worked there, positions held and possibly number of sick days. (These are all clearly documented objective facts which one can hardly be sued over)

On the other hand some employers dont bother checking references (probably because they quite understandably dont have much faith in the process) but other employers (particularly the civil service and public sector in general) seem to have a bit of an obsession with them.

On a vaugely related note a lot of companies now insist on application forms rather than CV's because application forms have to be signed and one can be sued if they are caught telling lies on them.

Irish_Elect_Eng

Yes, poster is correct, as references are opinions not facts, many companies now have strict policies about giving them out. But most companies will give a confirmation reference, indicating th. start date, title(s) and end date of the employment.

It is often the case that as part of the exit process the determination of whether a future reference will be given is determined. That generally means that a company will only give good references, declining to give a reference rather than taking the risk of giving a poor reference.

Sticky_Fingers

Irish_Elect_Eng wrote: »

Yes, poster is correct, as references are opinions not facts, many companies now have strict policies about giving them out. But most companies will give a confirmation reference, indicating th. start date, title(s) and end date of the employment.

It is often the case that as part of the exit process the determination of whether a future reference will be given is determined. That generally means that a company will only give good references, declining to give a reference rather than taking the risk of giving a poor reference.

I thought you were not allowed to give bad references since companies open themselves up to accusations of liable? I think the worst reference you can legally get from a company is "no comment".

Mike 1972

Seemingly companies have been sued (By the new employers) for giving good references too ?

Not sure if its ever happened in Ireland though but a lot of foreign companies will be wary of legal precedents and wotnot.

Taco Corp

Companies don't give former employees bad references, they just don't give the reference. Says the same.

Irish_Elect_Eng

From discussions with HR managers in the past there is a lot of "nod and a wink" in the process of reference verification, that there are many in-direct ways of letting other HR professionals know when to steer clear without actually putting it down on paper.

For example there is the classic:

Question:

"Would you rehire this former employee?" = "Do you think I should hire your former employee"

Response

"No". = "No"

There is nothing libelous in this approach.

Lumen

If someone I worked with did a great job I'll give them a good reference.

I could give a fúck about legal consequences, it's just the decent thing to do.

biko

From After Hours.

darragh666

Employers just need to be able to prove anything they say. If they say a former employee is always late then need to show time cards etc

It should also be noted that an employer could be liable for failing to give a honest reference. If a former employee was a complete psycho and known for stabbing customers and the former employer failed to disclose this they could be liable. Extreme example but an interesting point.

stovelid

In my personal experience, they've rarely been checked.

As said there is always the unreliability factor. If somebody gives you a bad reference, you were hardly so bad if you weren't ever formally disciplined or even sacked so it;s easy to see them as personally motivated, for example, because you resigned the position against their wishes.

Mike 1972

I used to know a guy who got a job having given his drug dealer as a reference (I sh1t you not)

Reactor

Well I made a similiar thread recently:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056184102

Because I was really worried about the amount of bullsh1tting Id done in the interview, basically I was claiming to be doing a lot of the duties of the people giving me the references

Anyway I got the job today and I know for a fact they did a reference check so read into that what you will, I think a bit of exaggeration is okay to give you something to talk about in the interview.

AFC_1903

Good Reference for terrible (former) employee X = New company gets pissed off they were misled into employing said employee. This potentially damages new employer of X. New employer may consider legal action.

Bad Reference for excellent (former) employee X = X fails to get job, finds out why and is pissed off. X may consider legal action against former employer due to an inaccurate reference preventing them from gaining employment.

Safe route? Only confirm that X worked for you and the dates, leaving your company free from possible legal repercussions .

Very common with American companies. I worked for one who have this policy, and apparently it's fairly standard. I was however told that I could ask a boss/co-worker for a personal reference, as this distanced it from being attributed to the company. This [policy of no company references] works against employers though, as for my first few months I was first in and last out slaving away in the hope of an amazing reference. After learning all this I dropped down to working my set hours only, and only being a damn good worker instead of an excellent worker. I knew that the guy who sat and watched streaming movies when he had no tasks to do would get the same reference from the company as I did - despite me always looking for extra work when not busy, so was disheartened to say the least.