'Unsuitable ref' has causedn job offer to be withdrawn. help.

medini

To give you a quick bit of background on my situation I spent 2 years working in a call centre, I then left to work as a Temp for Reed as it was better paid and I was told by the agency that after 6 months working as a Temp for the particulat company I was with (Barclays) I would be taken on as full time staff. By the yime 6 months had passed the bank had froze taking on any new full time workers so I was told I could stay on as a temp and serveral new Temps were hired at the same time. 3 months later it was decided that they didn't need Temps and everyone was got rid off including me.

3 months later I am offered a job with Manpower, working at BT. A week and a half later I contacted manpower as I hadn't been sent any paperwork even though it was getting close to th start date for my new job. When I spoke to them I was told I had had my jov offer refused due to an 'unsuitable reference' from Reed.

At this point I got really angry. Whilst I had been a temp my attitude had been if the employe asks me to jump I would ask how high, then get on with it. I phoned Reed to find out what was going on. They advised me that it was company policy bot to comment on a persons conduct, instead they would ony confirm the dates I had worked for them. When I argued that this made it look like I had been a bad employee they offered to speak to the other company and explain that this was their policy and I had worked well when I had worked for them. I called manpower to plead my case, but they refused to listen saying that they could not go back on something once it was decided.

Not only am I really upset as to what has happened I am terrfied that the next time I apply for a job the company will look at my. Reed reference and assume it means Im unsuitable for work. Has anyone got any suggestions about what I can do.

maninthestreet

Some employers do have a policy of merely confirming the dates a person worked for them. Why are Manpower saying that this consitutes an 'unsuitable reference'?

medini

They wouldn't tell me. When I tried to ask why they thought it was unsuitable they wouldn't say and started saying things to try and end the call.

456789

Lots of companies only confirm dates - this seems like manpower are being out of order

try contacting acas

reheat

Absolutely so. Many companies now are so terrified of being sued, they bottle out and only provide the bare factual information. If Manpower of all people don't understand this they really need sorting out.

The company I last worked for had this policy - no-one was allowed to give 'normal' references in the company's name. What was allowed however was for individuals to give personal references, which nonetheless could include details of how someone had worked, so long as the referee made it clear it was their own personal opinion, and it was not on company headed paper etc.

What a daft world we live in.

sassie-lassie

Blimey, what a world we live in.

A reference was an important part of my compromise agreement with my former employer. The first draft from the solicitor merely confirmed the dates I'd worked for them. I nearly hit the roof when I saw this, as I thought - like you - that this would indicate unsatisfactory performance somewhere along the line.

A bit of further investigation om my part however, revealed that as another poster said, many companies don't write what I'd call a 'proper' reference these days for fear of it coming back to them. This indeed was the advice that my former employers' solicitors had given them (though in my instance, I negotiated hard and ended up with a glowing reference).

Now if I received a reference that merely confirmed dates, I too might think something was wrong. But I am not an employment specialist. Anyone at Manpower who deals with recruitment should be fully aware of this increasing trend, or, as far as I am concerned, they aren't keeping abreast with an important development within the recruitment sector. Maybe you could raise this with them - in a tactful way - to focus their thinking in the future, making it clear that you still want to work for them.

It sounds to me that your Manpower application was dealt with by someone who simply did not know what they were doing.

Hope you find other options soon - good luck!!

fengirl_2

I concur with others who say that many employers will only confirm dates of employment, etc.

However, why do you think Reed, as the agent, would have any detailed knowledge of your work? Surely you should be giving as the referee the actual company or person with which you were placed?

Uncertain

This whole reference business is getting to be more and more of a problem.

As has been said above, many firms will only allow their staff to state pure facts and not anything that is in any way an opinion. The problem is because this is not universal by any means it can give the wrong impression.

Even statements like "resigned pending a disiplinary hearing" can be tricky. OK, it may be true but can also be very misleading. Suppose there was no justification whatsoever for the hearing?

Even the most glowing reference can give problems. It might be that the person is hopeless and the firm just wants to see the back of them! It has been known for new employers to sue for this reason!

loisa

That's worrying because I've also got a standard reference from an agency. I worked there for over a year doing the same work as the perm staff. Manangers at that company were also not allowed to give out references in case it came back to bite them. Even for perm staff everything had to go through HR.

I have used it once, it was with another agency though. They even accepted a copy straight from me! I've not had to use it for any 'proper jobs'. I write the name and address of the agency on all my application forms but have not been successful in any so far. I guess I will just cross my fingers and hope for the best if I do get an offer. I can't imagine how gutting that must have been.

It does depend on what kind of jobs you applying for and how strict the employer is about references. Some (especially agencies) don't care as long as you can prove that you have not been in prison or something. I've even used university documents in the past instead of a reference. On the other hand, I've also seen a really detailed reference request which asks for specific info about a persons suitablilty for the job - oh dear!!

cazziebo

fengirl wrote: »

I concur with others who say that many employers will only confirm dates of employment, etc.

However, why do you think Reed, as the agent, would have any detailed knowledge of your work? Surely you should be giving as the referee the actual company or person with which you were placed?

Client companies are usually advised not to provide references for agency workers because this confuses the employer relationship and which party carries the employer liabilities. The agency is the employer, not the client company.

There is something a bit odd here. I have seen reference request forms from both Reed and Manpower and they ask for more info than just confirming dates of employment. It's quite possible someone is not being honest here.

Manpower are a very reputable recruitment business. Complaints are taken very seriously. Write to their head office (there is a form for this on their website). It would be better if you had a name of someone so if there are any Manpower employees on here they might be able to oblige.

sharkie

I would contact Manpower and under the Data Protection Act formally request a complete and full disclosure plus any decisions they have made or deduced and the reasoning behind those decisions or deductions, and see what they have to say. I'm sure you can find the exact and correct wording on the web.

Although it is £10 and up to 40 days wait, at least you will know where you stand