Can my ex employer do this?

SLSKKJ

Hi All,

I have left my old position and been with my new employer for around 6 mths now. My old job was in account management and my new role is in technical sales.

As far as I was concerned I was leaving under good terms, well as good as can be when going to work for someone who supplies their competitors.

I expected a degree of "oh did he not do that for you, or oh he messed that one up and I am here to pick up the pieces" from my successor but not 6 mths down the line and not in writing deliberately asking customers if I had given them any barriers/issues when dealing with my old company.

It goes to show the relationship I have with the customers that they felt obliged to look me up and let me know (either by forwarding on emails or by phone) what was going on.

While I feel this is highly unprofessional and will look poor on my old employer it is still detrimental to my professional reputation, something I rely heavily on for work. Basically what about those who are not in contact with me?

My question is - can they do this?

ValHaller

They can and they have. I don't know that there is much you can do about it, unless you engage a solicitor to write some sort of threatogram. As you say it reflects worst on the perpetrator.

SLSKKJ

disappointing but as suspected - thanks for the reply.

agrinnall

I thought dog eat dog was the essence of working in sales - take a look at David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross for a good example.