what can employer inform others about your employment?

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York.

I was recently terminated from my employment. This was done without any written warnings or cause - other than I didnt fit in with future of company.

I am presently negotiating if I can change the "termination" to "resignation" to improve career chances.

In the mean time, I have found out from previous colleagues that people in the company have informed them that I was fired.

I was under the impression that a company would give out only the information that I was employed there and at what salary. When the situation arose for me, I was always told to say "he/she is no longer with the company".

What information can the company give out about my employment?
Is there any potential legal repercussions for saying "terminated", whether true or not?

Thanks in advance

MLB76 said:

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York.

I was recently terminated from my employment. This was done without any written warnings or cause - other than I didnt fit in with future of company.

I am presently negotiating if I can change the "termination" to "resignation" to improve career chances.

In the mean time, I have found out from previous colleagues that people in the company have informed them that I was fired.

I was under the impression that a company would give out only the information that I was employed there and at what salary. When the situation arose for me, I was always told to say "he/she is no longer with the company".

What information can the company give out about my employment?
Is there any potential legal repercussions for saying "terminated", whether true or not?

Thanks in advance

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Employers are allowed to state the truth.

Your employer can take out a billboard announcing your termination and the reason for it.

I was under the impression that a company would give out only the information that I was employed there and at what salary. A widely held misconception. An employer may give out any information regarding your termination they wish to, provided the information is factual and/or represents their honest opinion.

Is there any potential legal repercussions for saying "terminated", whether true or not? Legal repercussions for your employer? Nope.

Terminated and fired are synonyms.
If you resigned, they could ALSO consider it a termination of employment...

Beth3 said:

I was under the impression that a company would give out only the information that I was employed there and at what salary. A widely held misconception. An employer may give out any information regarding your termination they wish to, provided the information is factual and/or represents their honest opinion.

Click to expand...

And, to carry this a tad bit further...an employer can even LIE and it would be up to the former employee to take action on it.

thanks for the help!

Just to pick a nit, any separation from employment is a termination. There are voluntary (initiated by the employee) terminations and involuntary (initiated by the employer) terminations.

pattytx said:

Just to pick a nit, any separation from employment is a termination. There are voluntary (initiated by the employee) terminations and involuntary (initiated by the employer) terminations.

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Agreed .

Foor goodness sakes, why do you think it sounds better that you quit/resigned from a job before you had another job to go to, not were let go due to realignment/ downsize/ lack of bonding with the company? Trying to get them to change it to saying you resigned? I don't see why. If nothing else, resigning shows a lack of forethought and maturity on your part, that you can't stick it out until you do find another position. If they cannot show that they had a valid misconduct reason to terminate you, you will be eligible for unemployment, which would not be the case if you are fired for cause.

And when you are let go not by your decision but by theirs, why would you not apply for your unemployment benefits immediately? Future employers certainly cannot know whether or not you filed, but will assume that you have done this, as it is simple intelligence, and unemployment insurance is an insurance paid for by the employer for people who are let go without a good reason which sounds like your case. Going through the unemployment process will also make the former employer come out in the open, so to speak about why exactly they let you go, whether there was any documented wrongdoing or misconduct on your part.