Skeleton references - a bad thing?

demiruss

I'm in the process of applying for new jobs and I'm worried about my current boss giving a poor reference. The main issue is she doesn't fulfill her duties then blames others and there's no way of broaching the subject because she finds a way to patronise you for supposedly not doing your job properly :lipsrseal I receive glowing reports from her superiors (they don't supervise me so I couldn't ask them?), but she tends to give mediocre/harsh references to former staff e.g. saying she would not employ them again (incidentally all those who've highlighted the poor-management). ACAS suggested requesting a skeleton reference, but would new employers frown upon this?

xapprenticex

Get your HR to do it.

demiruss

We don't have one, unfortunately. She has her finger in every pie so even though I get on with her superiors and her assistant, she would definitely take over any reference request sent to them.

Andy_L

If by skeleton reference you mean just start/finish dates, job title and reason for leaving then that is a pretty standard reference these days.

demiruss

Yep, that's what I meant (and what I'd prefer!) Good to know

xapprenticex

But bear in mind, she could also refuse to provide one.

sangie595

There is no reason at all that you can't ask someone further up the management chain to write a reference. It's an employers reference, not a managers reference. And a basic reference is common in some sectors. Most of the employers I work with wouldn't accept one (and it's a huge sector across the entire country, with hundreds of thousands of employees - so suggesting a basic reference is "pretty standard" isn't remotely accurate), and if they got one they would be digging to find out why you had a "bad reference". And in other sectors, such a reference would not fulfill legal requirements. Even with all that, what she writes does not have to be what you ask for - you can't make her write a basic reference if she wishes to do otherwise.

demiruss

ACAS said you could request a skeleton reference? I'm worried about a poor reference that doesn't reflect the quality of my work as I haven't done anything to constitute a bad one.

TELLIT01

A basic reference may not be "pretty standard" but it's pretty common. When I worked in financial services that is all they would provide. When I worked for DWP is was the same. That's two business areas who employ many thousands of people.
By basic reference I mean one which simply states the start and end date of employment and the job title.

[Deleted User]

demiruss wrote: »

ACAS suggested requesting a skeleton reference, but would new employers frown upon this?

Depend entirely on employer - both new one to be and old one.
Some new employers now only want to hear from past employers if you've worked there a considerable time.

Latest employer who made it pretty clear well late on they would take references provided a statement by the signing area, stating in doing so (signing) you were giving permission for them to seek statements relating to "work duties, education, performance, attendance and past salary details" - that said form not taken until after I'd worked at new place a whole week and had to foist it on them, who knows if they follow up. I noticed on this they preferred only employers details who you'd worked for at least 2-3 years!!! So knowing me, this was a problem and so also had to provide a character reference.

I had an employer from temping in the past, who made it clear they didn't entertain any reference requests down to issuing a very bog standard letter on leaving and that being your lot regardless of who you were, recently offered an interview for a permanent job.

So you never can tell. If one employer can't accept references or lack of well there will always be another in the wings.

Topic of references always an interesting subject.

techra02

I actually work in HR and currently due to a lot of legislative restrictions I would only expect references that state start and end dates. The reason is that potential employers should use the interview process to determine if you have the right experience/attitude to do the job. I would not worry plenty of people don't have work references due to career breaks and why would an employer take the word of someone they don't know and have never met over their own judgement. Don't give them the power.


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