Worried about references / rights - in job less than 6 months

Elbie_2

Hello,

I will be very grateful for any advice anyone can offer me.

I recently started a new job after choosing to leave my old one - but the role has turned out differently to how I expected. It is at a lower skill and experience level than suggested by the description and I feel in utter despair.

I jobhunted for ages to find it and thought it was the next step in my career. Instead, I feel like I've gone back ten years.

After three weeks I told my line manager that I felt uncomfortable about some of my tasks and he said he'd take it on board, but it has now been nearly two months and there is no sign of change.

It could be just because it's early days and things will improve, but it doesn't seem likely.

Most of the time I am doing something that feels like data entry, with far too much time in front of the computer, a lack of interaction with colleagues and no initiative required. It is awful. I am still quite a young person and feel as though I am wasting my life.

RIGHTS

I will have an appraisal soon, but I don't want to raise the above issues as a concern, because the first six months is a probationary period and they can let me go with just a week's notice - which I think they would do, if they discovered I wasn't keen. Or they might find a reason to extend my probation. I've heard some stories about how other staff with perceived 'personality differences' were quickly disposed of.

Several years ago I had a similar experience and was let go as a result, so am very cautious.

I am trying to knuckle down and get on with it, even if just until my probation has passed - but on a daily basis it is grinding me down. I am worried I will snap or they will notice I am miserable anyway, or it'll affect my work.

REFERENCES

Regardless of how I leave (if that is what happens), I am concerned that I won't get a reference - due to it being less than a year, or me wanting to leave.

In any case, the staff handbook states that they 'don't give full written references' as a matter of policy - they will only confirm working dates.

This is a massive worry and makes me feel trapped. Does that mean they won't indicate other basic details, such as my number of sick days, whether they'd re-employ me, etc? Do new employers generally take a dim view of this? Is this likely to affect my chances of getting another job?

Please help! I am sorry for the long message, but I am so worried. I can't believe I've been naive enough to get into this mess.

Uncertain

Elbie wrote: »

Hello,


In any case, the staff handbook states that they 'don't give full written references' as a matter of policy - they will only confirm working dates.

This is a massive worry and makes me feel trapped. Does that mean they won't indicate other basic details, such as my number of sick days, whether they'd re-employ me, etc? Do new employers generally take a dim view of this? Is this likely to affect my chances of getting another job?

Please help! I am sorry for the long message, but I am so worried. I can't believe I've been naive enough to get into this mess.

This is becoming quite common in many fields and may work to your advantage.

Hopefully any such reference will point out that it is company policy to say no more.

It is only really a problem if you are trying to move to a different field where long "essay" type reference are still the norm. Sometime it can then be misunderstood.

The only legal requirement is that any reference is true and not deliberately misleading. There is no requirement to give one at all.

The only way you can control what is in a reference is if one forms part of a legally binding leaving package (usually a compromise agreement). Sometimes in such circumstances you can virtually write your own!

Emplawyer

Hi Elbie

Sorry to hear that you've had such a bad experience, but it sounds like you're still young enough to put it behind you and move on, if that's what it comes to.

Firstly I would perhaps try to think of ways of raising your concerns during your appraisal in a constructive and positive way - say things like you'd really like to learn different aspects of the organisations work and are ready to be challenged more, etc etc - you never know, if they value you they may well respond positively and the job may evolve into something more like you had hoped it would be.

Otherwise, if your fears are well founded, it is perhaps time to just move on and put this behind you. Employers aren't obliged to give detailed references, but equally they cannot lie if they respond to questions from a new employer, for example. So if you find a new post and move on, you can hopefully explain to the new employer that things just didn't work out for you here, and their reference will be factual and neutral at worst. I don't think many employers would read anything negative into that.

There's no point soldiering on just for the sake of it in a job you're miserable in - carpe diem!

Good luck

Sambucus_Nigra

It can happen at any time, you do the research and check it out and whammo - the job is a complete farce.

Get out ASAP into something that is in the direction you are looking for, whilst you use this to pay the bills - is my advice.

DCFC79

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

It can happen at any time, you do the research and check it out and whammo - the job is a complete farce.

Get out ASAP into something that is in the direction you are looking for, whilst you use this to pay the bills - is my advice.

excellent advice,

get looking for another job, do you have bills to pay ? if not you could look for either a part time or a full time job

Elbie_2

Hi all,

Just wanted to say thank you very much for your supportive comments - you have really lifted my spirits.

I will post again soon.

Elbie

Pupnik

I wouldn't be too worried about the reference- by the time a future emplyer is requesting a reference they should already be pretty keen on you and I so long as the reference isn't bad I can't imagine them holding it against you. You could always use a second reference with more detail if you are concerned.

Good luck finding something that interests you more! I can relate to your situation- the job I am in right now sounded so interesting but also feels a lot like data entry, all I seem to do is copy and paste things between different documents!

KiKi

Hi there

I just wanted to add something about your probation period - which is a red herring. It really makes no difference up to 12 months' service. They can sack you for any reason they like up to 12 months (discrimination cases excepted), whether you're in your probation period or not. So don't fall into the trap of believing that you can voice your concerns freely after 6 months and you're protected - you're not.

As others have said, it is absolutely normal for employers to only give reference with information such as dates, salary and job title. It stops any lawsuits in case an over-zealous manager starts putting their own opinion of that person in there instead of factual information...! Don't worry on that count at all - nothing to be concerned about.


KiKi

Elbie_2

Thanks again to everyone who has replied.

I have decided to try my best to stick it out for at least six months, as I think it will do my confidence more good than if I 'give up' early on. At least then it's another notch on my CV and another area of experience. If I've done a reasonable stint, it'll also make it easier to face going back to my former employer to ask for a reference again so soon.

But even if not, I think my coping mechanism has to be to forget my career hang-ups and what this job was 'supposed to be' and just keep my head down. Time will hopefully pass quickly. Who knows... it might improve in the meantime!

However, my brain is still swinging wildly between this 'practical' attitude and a more panicked one... so I'll have to see how it goes. I live in fear that something will push me over the edge and I'll react badly and mess things up.

ALSO... I now have an extra worry because my appraisal is in a couple of weeks and I need to state whether or not I feel my job matches what was advertised.

I feel that I need to be honest about this, as they may take my feedback on board and I can't complain if I don't take constructive action.

BUT I don't want to come across negative, as they may think I'm talking nonsense and am a potential troublemaker - and therefore decide to get rid of me (in less than a year of employment, they don't have to give a reason - and during my six-month probation they can give me just one week's notice).

Hmmmmm. Has anyone else encountered a similar dilemma?!

an9i77

hi there OP - I can really relate to your post. I took a job which the manager promised was being upgraded (I started there as a temp in another role, as this job was temporary I applied for the permanent job when it became vacant and was taken on on the basis that the job would be upgraded.) The salary and job title were upgraded (so I am being paid for the more senior level at least, BUT the job itself remained at the junior level - very adminny and my boss gets to do all the exciting work which he promised to hand down.

I have decided to just stick it out for the time being as it's pretty tough out there job hunting in my field, but I will tentatively look on the market once I've been there a decent length of time. At least the job title was upgraded so I can put that on my CV and talk up the role.

By the way, I work in HR so can answer your reference question. Most companies now give only factual references and it is entirely normal to get these so called 'tombstone' references (as they just say name, job title, dates employed from and to). In all my years in HR I have only very occasionally seen an offer withdrawn due to references and this is usually when the reference says something really bad along the 'don't touch with a bargepole' lines, I've never seen an offer withdrawn due to a factual reference. By the point the new employer gets the reference they have already provisionally appointed you, are excited they've found the right person and rejected all the other candidates so it would have to be a pretty bad reference to get the offer withdrawn.

I agree with the other poster that the way to approach your problem in the appraisal is to say that you'd love to develop in xyz area, maybe ask if you can have a development plan, that way you look keen and positive whilst still taking steps to get where you want.

Good luck

Savvy_Sue

the key thing about the appraisal is to practice beforehand what you want to say, so that it comes across in the best way possible rather than a negative "no, it's a complete farce to say this job matches the advert" IYSWIM.

Maybe you can start with "in some areas yes, for example I expected to be doing x and y each day and that's happening. However I also expected some training so that I could do z, and I'm disappointed that this hasn't happened yet." Or something like that. But practice: say it out loud, say it to a friend, treat it like a job interview ('cos it's all good practice!)