References following Gross Dismissal (was not reason for leaving) - any advice?

threehundredandfourty

Hi all,

Looking for a bit of help here. I used to work in a financial services firm and decided to leave my role to find a new career in something more fulfilling. I handed in my notice under normal circumstances with a 3 month notice period.

However, on my final day I slipped up and sent myself some files which contained sensitive information (completely forgot they did) along with other non sensitive files. I was called back in and given Gross Misconduct. Since I always had good conduct prior my previous employer agreed to not state this in my reference but will not give anything positive - i.e. will only confirm dates I worked.

This was my first job outside of university and I was there for three years. I'm scared that it will now be near impossible for me to get a new job.. I can't not put this experience on my CV. The only good thing is that I wasn't technically fired and my reason for leaving was handing in my notice. Additionally, I'm still in good stead with my boss (had a brief email exchange with him after the fact and he understood why I did it and that it was a slip-up)

I have read previous threads on this that recommend temp work. Is this the way to go? Or is it possible that since my previous employer said that won't mention it, I would still have a shot at a normal perm role? I don't really know how much bearing references give, if it's common that new employers will ask for more details or if a simple confirmation of dates will be acceptable.

Any advice on my situation would be greatly appreciated.

ohreally

If reference requests land on HR, will they mention gross misconduct?

Was a hearing convened and what was the result? You do realise that employment can be terminated during notice period.

sangie595

You handed in your notice without a job to go to already?

daytona0

sangie595 wrote: »

You handed in your notice without a job to go to already?

Indeed.

Sadly for OP it looks very suspect that they left without having something lined up and the employer seems reluctant to provide any sort of positive reference!

[Deleted User]

threehundredandfourty wrote: »

Any advice on my situation would be greatly appreciated.

What industry were you going into/want to get into?

jonmoneybags

You quit a job without anything to go to and then 'accidentally' email yourself some confidential files on your last day.
Pull the other one, it has bells on it.

IAmWales

ohreally wrote: »

If reference requests land on HR, will they mention gross misconduct?

Was a hearing convened and what was the result? You do realise that employment can be terminated during notice period.

Since I always had good conduct prior my previous employer agreed to not state this in my reference but will not give anything positive - i.e. will only confirm dates I worked.

I wouldn't worry OP, neutral references are pretty much the norm now, when recruiting I would not read anything into it. I'd be more interested in why you left without a new job to go to, can you elaborate on that?

xapprenticex

If you work in finance they will require more than dates, one of the questions they will ask 90% of the time is "Would you hire the person again". Trust and integrity etc are a big thing in that field (NOT saying you dont have those qualities)

jonmoneybags wrote: »

You quit a job without anything to go to and then 'accidentally' email yourself some confidential files on your last day.
Pull the other one, it has bells on it.

Looool, i like that :money:

steampowered

Neutral references, only confirming the dates of employment, are very standard for professional services.

I don't think there are many financial services firms that give anything other than a neutral reference confirming dates of employment to all employees. Except perhaps very small firms. It is very market standard in that industry.

Personally, I wouldn't mention the gross misconduct dismissal.

threehundredandfourty

jonmoneybags wrote: »

You quit a job without anything to go to and then 'accidentally' email yourself some confidential files on your last day.
Pull the other one, it has bells on it.

Yes - I left because I got sick of it (hours, work). It became too much for me. The files I emailed were excel modelling files - some were fine, some contained sensitive information in tabs which I forgot. Emailed them to myself as I didn't want to forget how to model.

IAmWales wrote: »

I wouldn't worry OP, neutral references are pretty much the norm now, when recruiting I would not read anything into it. I'd be more interested in why you left without a new job to go to, can you elaborate on that?

Sure. I said above but I got sick of the job (working 12h+ days) and lost motivation. Once I got to that point, I got quite unhappy doing the job. Quite difficult to do those kind of hours when you have lost all motivation. I also wanted a break to go travelling which I did, and then thought it wouldn't take me too long to find something new (obviously before I screwed up on my last day)

steampowered wrote: »

Neutral references, only confirming the dates of employment, are very standard for professional services.

I don't think there are many financial services firms that give anything other than a neutral reference confirming dates of employment to all employees. Except perhaps very small firms. It is very market standard in that industry.

Personally, I wouldn't mention the gross misconduct dismissal.

I haven't mentioned it in any processes I'm with so far. I hope this is true, as if I do get a job offer then I don't know how under jeopardy this would be if they received a confirmation of dates through references.

threehundredandfourty

Deleted%20User wrote: »

What industry were you going into/want to get into?

Well I wanted to get out of finance mainly which might be a positive in this situation. I'm looking for roles in startups mainly, and some at larger tech organisations.

ohreally wrote: »

If reference requests land on HR, will they mention gross misconduct?

Was a hearing convened and what was the result? You do realise that employment can be terminated during notice period.

No they won't mention it unless specifically asked. They will only confirm dates of employment. But again if the reference check asks additional questions I'm unsure how they would handle it. Since I am in good stead with my old boss, would it be worth speaking with him and asking if they can still answer positively to other specific questions?

I do realise, but I made this mistake literally on the last day of my notice period. I went back in for a hearing and immediately said I made a stupid mistake and realise I should not have sent these files, immediately deleted the email in front of them etc. After the hearing they said a note would be placed with my reference that I committed an act of Gross Misconduct on my last day, but left the company before I could be dismissed. I appealed the decision and they upheld it but said they would now not mention the Gross Misconduct but rather give a confirmatory reference.