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Why would an employer say something bad

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lexi48

Member
What is the name of your state?KS. Why would a former employer say negative things about a former employee or would want to do so. You could have a lawsuit if they say something bad and it keeps a former employee from getting a job? Just because there were issues at an old job, does not mean there would be at a new job. You might just have been a bad match somewhere but be the best employee at the next job. That person no longer works for you so why would want to ruin their chances for the future?
 


lucky4822

Member
indiana,,
cuz some people are jerks....i myself dont give any information out.....just that they worked there.
if the employee was really bad, say they stole or was violent and they asked if i would rehire..i would prolly say no...but wouldnt say why.
but its true some people work better in different fields, or learned from mistakes...and i dont want to make them suffer for the rest of their lives becuz they didnt work good for me.
i dont know what they can exactly say about them but i know it isnt much....
from what i was trained in taking calls. but i have called other places for references and shew the stories i have got.
but like i said ive worked with alot of people and have fired alot too, and have seen fired ones turn out to be great employees for other companies...
And well most of the time i didnt do checks on people just tried to give a thorough interivew.but even that doesnt always work, people can always surprise you.
 

BelizeBreeze

Senior Member
lexi48 said:
What is the name of your state?KS. Why would a former employer say negative things about a former employee or would want to do so.
That is not a legal question. Ask Dr. Phil.
You could have a lawsuit if they say something bad and it keeps a former employee from getting a job?
I suggest you learn about libel and the theory of intent. Just because an ex employer tells someone 'they did a crappy job and just aren't worth keeping." doesn't mean they will be sued.
Just because there were issues at an old job, does not mean there would be at a new job.
Doesn't matter. If you had 'issues' at your old job the employer can speak to those 'issues'.
You might just have been a bad match somewhere but be the best employee at the next job. That person no longer works for you so why would want to ruin their chances for the future?
So, through all of this, WHERE IN THE HELL is the legal question?
 

Beth3

Senior Member
Why would a former employer say negative things about a former employee or would want to do so. If the employee did a poor job or engaged in misconduct, then they may wish to prevent another employer from making the same mistake.

You could have a lawsuit if they say something bad and it keeps a former employee from getting a job? Not if the information provided was factually truthful or represented their honest opinion.

Just because there were issues at an old job, does not mean there would be at a new job. Depends on the circumstances. If the employee and the job were mismatched, I agree with you. If the employee was frequently absent, negative, unpleasant to coworkers and so on, that's going to go with the individual to their next job.

You might just have been a bad match somewhere but be the best employee at the next job. That person no longer works for you so why would want to ruin their chances for the future? See above. If the person engaged in some sort of misconduct, they've hurt their own chances for the future, not the employer.
 

lexi48

Member
Why would an employer...

I totally agree with you there Beth, regarding your examples. I guess I had not thought about those since they don't apply to me. If people are like that by nature it will only continue. I was in a job that was a bad match for me. I just worry about what my former employer will say. Thank you for your advise.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
You're also incorrectly assuming that any reference an employer gives must necessarily be bad. I've given references along the line of, "Alice is a terrific employee and the best thing you could possibly do would be do hire her". Don't you think an employee would WANT an employer to be able to say something like that?
 

Beth3

Senior Member
Good point, cbg. The great majority of references I've given over the years have been very positive. But if an ex-employee has a lousy record with my company (excessive absenteeism, disciplinary actions for misconduct, treated other employees like crap, etc.), I do share that.
 

lucky4822

Member
indiana
as far as i was trained we couldnt give out any information, we had to direct the call to the corporate office, and im assuming they would just tell them what was on the separation report. Most i could spill was i wouldnt rehire or i would rehire. but do these places really call and check like people think?
ive had the same job for 18 yrs so i really dont know.
its not always past employers giving bad comments, theres more to look at , if i see someone has had many jobs over a certain amount of time, that makes me think they arent going to stay long so why waste my time. So one really doesnt know if its your past employer screwing you or not, the job market is tough.
i wonder if you left a place on bad terms why would you even put them down.
 

Beth3

Senior Member
but do these places really call and check like people think? The majority of employers do indeed check references with past employers. Which employers do and which don't is anyone's guess though. Employers that don't check references and verify the candiate's employment history are being really stupid however.

if i see someone has had many jobs over a certain amount of time, that makes me think they arent going to stay long so why waste my time Agreed. I have seen resumes from individuals who have gotten caught in an unhappy spiral of plant closings, downsizings, etc. for three or four jobs running through no fault of their own but when I see a candidate who has moved from job to job to job every couple of years, I'm not interested.

i wonder if you left a place on bad terms why would you even put them down. Because falsifying an application form is grounds for immediate dismissal if the employer discovers it after the person has been hired.
 

Beth3

Senior Member
By the way, I saw a resume recently from someone who'd had 27 jobs in 20 years. That's a bit over the top.
 

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