Ex-Employer Gave Me a Bad Reference

KGJ1995

Hi there, I was told this would be a good place to get advice. I've had some difficulties with my last employer, I worked in a very small business (I was the one of the only full time employees) and when I left the owner was annoyed and seemed to take it personally. She has given me a bad reference which is making it hard for me to move on.

I worked there for 4 years (I'm only 18) and gave everything and was incredibly loyal. The job was with horses and I was working crazy hours outside for years during the Winter and I just couldn't continue without support, and before I left she would agree that I was working really hard and pretty much the only one keeping the business together.

I'm not one to cause conflict for the sake of it, but her giving me a bad reference seems really spiteful and is deliberately sabotaging me from moving on, and is not even based on the truth. There were several dodgy things about the place during my time there, and I wanted to know if they were legal and if not, how bad they are and who I should talk to about them. Apologies for ranting a little, I am extremely upset about it all!

1) I was struggling, working long, hard hours in the cold. I told the owner that I would need some support or I couldn't keep doing it. She said she would find a replacement and had advertised. I checked to see if this was true (there is only really one popular place to find workers with horses) and she hadn't advertised. She had lied to me about this, and so I told her the only way I could continue was to go part time as I needed a break. She didn't take this well, started treating me worse, and said it wasn't possible. I had no choice but to quit. Now, I know for a fact that I worked really hard for 4 years and did my job well, but I was also important to the business being ran successfully, so when I left (after a full notice period) the owner has taken this personally. She has given me a bad reference, stating that I left because "I did not want to do the job any more" despite this being completely untrue and also given me a bad work reference which means going forward I am struggling to find work.

2) I was an apprentice, working on an apprentice wage of £2.50 per hour. I did this for several years, but beyond the first few months I received no training at all and was responsible for learning everything myself. I didn't mind at the time, as I loved working at horses, but looking back this doesn't seem right. Often I was the only person at the yard, sometimes for weeks at a time, and really I was treated as a worker at the farm rather than an apprentice, and one who was working for below minimum wage. I'm not sure how right this is?

3) I qualified from being a level 2 apprentice to level 3 and was supposed to receive a small pay rise. They would pay me cash in hand for the extra money and often forget to pay me it at all. Also, one girl got sacked and they wanted me to cover her shifts - this was again cash in hand. I never really questioned this as I don't know much about the laws about this, but I told my parents and they said this was a little dodgy.

4) I worked my final year without an official contract. I'm not sure if this was a problem though.

5) I worked with horses, which are big dangerous animals. I was often unsupervised around them, with nobody else being at the yard at all. This feels particularly dangerous for an 18 year old girl, as if anything had happened then there would have been nobody to help me. Once I got kicked by a horse and there was nobody around to help me and I was barely able to walk back to the farmhouse.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this and can give me any advice about what I should do next. I'm only 18 and feel completely out of my depth with this issue, but I feel I have to do something.

Thanks

cazziebo

What was "bad" about the reference?

Now you have left, what you have detailed is really in the past - not much can be done about it now. The cash in hand is illegal, and HMRC would possibly take it further but that would be an action against the company and would be of no benefit to you.

I'd say, best thing you can do is write it off as experience. References are rarely taken up before a job offer, and sometimes not at all. This gives you an opportunity to inform a potential employer that you worked for a very small outfit, who are unlikely to give a good reference despite you giving the 4 years service. Tell them this dispassionately and objectively.

Is there a regular customer or company accountant or suchlike you could put on forms etc as a character reference for the time you worked at the stables?

paddedjohn

As long as what is written is factual and relevant then the employer has done nothing wrong legally (morally maybe) but legally no..

AP007

OP you started with them at the age of 14?

[Deleted User]

Change of career to combat whatever has been said? doesn't have to mean you can't return to it at a later stage

In a few months the ex. boss could have got over whatever has been taken personally by you leaving - have you seen this 'bad' reference?

Like another has said, low level entry jobs with the exception of caring rarely have references checked out anyway, I have a 5 year long job that only gives me a basic confirm dates ref no matter how long I was there or what I did

brendon

Hold on, you're 18 now? So you started working here when you was 14?

This feels particularly dangerous for an 18 year old girl

Being a girl and being young doesn't make it dangerous.

Caroline_a

Working with horses often has its own set of unwritten rules. Lots of them break health and safety law to the letter, but people put up with it because they love the work so much. It's dirty, smelly, badly paid... but people still do it because they love horses!

But back to the OP. You mention an apprenticeship - did you do any of the formal qualifications, BHS exams? if not then I would say that you need to look to start going down that route if you want to progress.

How many horses were you responsible for? It's a whole different ballgame if you were looking after 20 hunters or 2 ponies. You say that you worked on your own. Unfortunately that's pretty par for the course with horses, unless you're on a polo or race yard, or a busy riding stables.

The horse world can be very fickle - it can be very personal, owners often all know each other, and some 'wouldnt employ anyone from that person's yard', so even a brilliant reference wouldnt get over that.

My advice - get your qualifications, chalk it up to experience and move on. There is little else you can do.

*and for those who question the OP starting work there at 14, it's a very common part time job for those who love horses or who have their own.

cazziebo

brendon wrote: »

Hold on, you're 18 now? So you started working here when you was 14?



Being a girl and being young doesn't make it dangerous.

My daughter was working at a stables at 14 - after school and at weekends. Probably only paid for half the hours she worked but that seems to be the norm because the girls do it to work with horses. Her friend stayed on full time when she finished school (and probably still paid for half the actual hours worked)

slenderkitten

I too wanted to be a horse groom and started a course i had an accident and fell of a horse badly so couldn't continue with my course.

To work in a stable yard by yourself is not only dangerous but irresponsible. Something could have happened to you and no one else would have known about it. I wonder what the owners of the horses and others must think of this i would say it's dangerous practice i'm sorry but i think you should report the owner in case whoever has taken your place is in the same position as you were.

Perhaps a call to acas may help with your predicament but as for a reference, I would approach a few of the customers for personal references, to help you out.

Good luck

Caroline_a

slenderkitten wrote: »

I too wanted to be a horse groom and started a course i had an accident and fell of a horse badly so couldn't continue with my course.

To work in a stable yard by yourself is not only dangerous but irresponsible. Something could have happened to you and no one else would have known about it. I wonder what the owners of the horses and others must think of this i would say it's dangerous practice i'm sorry but i think you should report the owner in case whoever has taken your place is in the same position as you were.

Perhaps a call to acas may help with your predicament but as for a reference, I would approach a few of the customers for personal references, to help you out.

Good luck

I don't think you can make this statement without knowing more. How many ponies/horses, how long alone, what type of yard, etc etc. What would you report the owner for? Letting people work on their own? It may not be good practise, but for many many small yards all over it is fairly common practise. Even when there are several people working there there will be times when workers are on their own, so it is impossible to legislate for this - you can only minimise the risks. Most owners, to be honest, would be more concerned with dangers to their horses when only one person is working there than to the worker!

I don't know what ACAS could do. The OP has left now, and it appears to have been a very loose situation with very little contractual responsibility. Unfortunately this is how a huge part of the horse world operates!

amiehall

You haven't really given the important information OP. Your previous employment situation is something you're just going to have to forget about.

More importantly, what does the reference say? How is it factually incorrect?