job blocking

[prd]

What is the name of your state?maine...

Hi....Here is an ethics question for someone...

I recently had an interview for a job with company B...

My present employer, company A, found out I was looking around for another job and assumed I was talking with company C....I was actually talking to company B

They then called company C , whom they do business with, and told them they did not want them hiring any employees away from them and if they did they would have to think twice about being " business partners" with them.

I then found out from my employer that they had talked to company C, whom I would actually like to work for (and so would a few other unhappy employees), but now the feathers have been ruffled a bit and it really does not look like it will happen for anyone now that these lines have been drawn...

Kind of odd here...normally it would be a company giving someone a bad recommendation which would lead to an employee not being hired ...here I have had an open door slammed in my face .before I have had the chance to even walk up to the door...not from being a bad employee but a good employee that my present employer has felt that if they threatened a potential employer of mine that I would have to stay ???

unethical...illegal...unkind ... or just plain wrong?

 

[BelizeBreeze]

None of the above. You are still free to apply for a job with anyone and they are still free to hire you. .....at a cost.

 

[cbg]

It is neither uncommon, illegal, nor unethical for two companies to have an agreement that they will not hire each other's employees away from each other.

It's entirely up to you whether you want to apply at Company C or not. It's entirely up to Company C whether they want to hire you or not. That would still be true if Company A had never said anything. You do not have a right to any given job.

If they'd rather have you working for them, than maintain their business with Company A, they may hire you anyway. If they'd rather maintain their business with Company A than have you working for them, that's a choice that THEY have to make.

 

[Beth3]

It is fairly common for companies that do business together to have a "no hire" agreement between themselves. It is neither illegal, unethical, unkind, or wrong.