If it's their livelihood, you would think they could spend a couple minutes to give me a quick call or email to let me know.
Putting my name as a reference without mentioning it to me shows poor judgement, so I would no longer feel confident giving the person a good reference.
That being said, the only people who have ever put me as a reference without telling me, weren't going to get a good reference in the first place.
Last time that happened to me, I got a phone call from a landlord for a reference for a guy I evicted for trashing the place and not paying rent lol.
Work-wise, last time I had to ask for references (about 2 months ago), the company gave me a boiler-plate e-mail to send to all my references, providing them a link to a form that they had to submit. I thought that was kinda weird, but also quite efficient.
When employees/former employees ask if I'll be a reference I always tell them "I don't give a good reference, I don't give a bad reference, I give a fair reference. And I tell every employee this". And I do.
That way if they sucked they won't even put me down.
I do need to do more research into the whole "being liable for telling the truth" thing, as I have a number of colleagues that won't answer questions.
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
I was actually just asked to be a reference for a previous employee who kinda worked for me 8 years ago. She didn't bother showing up for work one afternoon. She also decided she wasn't going to return the company vehicle. We had to send people to her house to retrieve it with a spare set of keys.
I was floored to be asked to do this. Before I could finish laughing (let alone respond to the request), I received an email from the prospective employer asking for a reference.
I honestly didn't know whether to give a bad reference, or just not reply at all due to the reasons others have mentioned. In the long run it didn't matter, the next day I got a message saying "Thank you so much. I got the job". They must have really needed someone, because they offered it to her before I could even reply.
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I PROMISED MESS I WOULDN'T DO THIS
True, but there would have to be some grey areas. What about if you say someone was lazy, which, from your perspective was true, but the employee had actually been suffering from severe depression that made it difficult to focus on work?
True, but there would have to be some grey areas. What about if you say someone was lazy, which, from your perspective was true, but the employee had actually been suffering from severe depression that made it difficult to focus on work?
We were told that saying anything that could be interpreted to interfere with a person's right to earn a living would get us in deep poo. Hence only confirming that they worked there and the dates they were employed and that company policy is not to comment any further than that.
We were told that saying anything that could be interpreted to interfere with a person's right to earn a living would get us in deep poo. Hence only confirming that they worked there and the dates they were employed and that company policy is not to comment any further than that.
Seems pretty bizarre to me - I've never heard anything of the sort. I typically give an honest and thorough reference - good or bad. I think it's important to avoid descriptions of character and stick to describing their competencies only.
I've been on both sides of the coin regarding references. I used to be surprised to learn that many companies don't give references and will only confirm facts like if you worked there or time that you were employed. Now many jobs will ask for references but I feel like those that don't give references as a policy should not ask for them either when hiring someone.
The Following User Says Thank You to LouCypher For This Useful Post:
In Canada, employers who provide misleading references may be liable to
a fired employee, when a negative or a basic minimum reference makes it difficult for the employee to find another job
a potential employer who hires someone on the basis of a good reference, especially if the reference fails to mention any safety concerns raised by the employee’s conduct on the job
Giving crap people good references only hurts your own reputation. I'll be nice if they were reliable but sucked at their jobs. If they were flakes, thieves, or complete useless I would be honest and truthful.
