Will I get a bad reference and will it affect my application?

Toxicshard

In summer 2017 I was suspended from my job as a bank healthcare assistant for allegedly saying something inappropriate to a patient with dementia (which I didn't). Nothing was ever proved as the department didn't deal with the situation properly for months. I eventually resigned while the investigation was still going on (not that they were doing anything about it to meet me etc.).

I've seen another job in the same hospital that I want to apply for and I have to put references from the last 3 years. Will the reference say resigned under investigation? Would I get a chance to explain myself?

Comms69

Toxicshard wrote: »

In summer 2017 I was suspended from my job as a bank healthcare assistant for allegedly saying something inappropriate to a patient with dementia (which I didn't). Nothing was ever proved as the department didn't deal with the situation properly for months. I eventually resigned while the investigation was still going on (not that they were doing anything about it to meet me etc.).

I've seen another job in the same hospital that I want to apply for and I have to put references from the last 3 years. Will the reference say resigned under investigation? Would I get a chance to explain myself?

Possibly; it really isn't a straight forward case. The investigation may have continued in your absence.


Are you still in touch with anyone on your old team?

Toxicshard

Comms69 wrote: »

Possibly; it really isn't a straight forward case. The investigation may have continued in your absence.


Are you still in touch with anyone on your old team?

I'm not in touch with anybody from my old team and I have no idea if the investigation continued in my absence.

Comms69

Toxicshard wrote: »

I'm not in touch with anybody from my old team and I have no idea if the investigation continued in my absence.

Your biggest hurdle will be what your relationship with prev manager was like.


Consider that a telephone call internally between new manager and old is very unlikely to even be mentioned, yet can reveal a LOT more than a written reference would

Toxicshard

Comms69 wrote: »

Your biggest hurdle will be what your relationship with prev manager was like.


Consider that a telephone call internally between new manager and old is very unlikely to even be mentioned, yet can reveal a LOT more than a written reference would

I never met the line manager who suspended me. We never communicated with each other at all until I was suspended. My relationship with all the other managers I have had is really good, especially my current one. The one who suspended me dragged her heels and made life very difficult for me. I couldn't work and the 'investigation' went on for months and she kept refusing to meet me.

What should I put as reason for leaving the job? I'm thinking about putting resigned to go travelling (which I did after I resigned).

KatrinaWaves

Toxicshard wrote: »

What should I put as reason for leaving the job? I'm thinking about putting resigned to go travelling (which I did after I resigned).

Its in the same hospital, so they will 100% contact your old manager.

If you put resigned to go travelling, and they ring and say 'really now?, did she say that! She resigned whilst we were investigating an incident!' it'll look 10x worse.

Put resigned. Thats correct. Don't try and fluff it up with prettier ideas as that will make you look like a lair, no matter how much travelling you did.

Honestly I would never apply at somewhere where I had had that history, as its a waste of time to be really honest with you.

Toxicshard

KatrinaWaves wrote: »

Its in the same hospital, so they will 100% contact your old manager.

If you put resigned to go travelling, and they ring and say 'really now?, did she say that! She resigned whilst we were investigating an incident!' it'll look 10x worse.

Put resigned. Thats correct. Don't try and fluff it up with prettier ideas as that will make you look like a lair, no matter how much travelling you did.

Honestly I would never apply at somewhere where I had had that history, as its a waste of time to be really honest with you.

I feel it's unfair that because of this incident (which was never proved and which I didn't do) would preclude me from applying to another job in the same hospital. I didn't do anything wrong and was put through months of nothing being done about it. What do you think the reference is likely to say? All NHS jobs ask for an employment history of 3 years.

Comms69

Toxicshard wrote: »

I feel it's unfair that because of this incident (which was never proved and which I didn't do) would preclude me from applying to another job in the same hospital. I didn't do anything wrong and was put through months of nothing being done about it. What do you think the reference is likely to say? All NHS jobs ask for en employment history of 3 years.

But it's not the incident, it's you not seeing the investigation out. Given that this is a patient complaint - the hospital ofcourse have to investigate.


Why didn't you go to your union at the time?

Toxicshard

Comms69 wrote: »

But it's not the incident, it's you not seeing the investigation out. Given that this is a patient complaint - the hospital ofcourse have to investigate.


Why didn't you go to your union at the time?

I tried to see the investigation out. I fully cooperated with everything they wanted but they refused to meet me to discuss the incident. I have email logs of the communication between me and the manager where she refused to meet me. I had to resign to get another job as I had run out of money and needed another job quickly. I didn't put the job I'm talking about on my CV to get the job I do now.

The union wouldn't help me as they said as I was a bank worker on a 0 hours contract I had little to no rights and there was nothing they could do.

lulu650

Toxicshard wrote: »

....will the reference say resigned under investigation? Would I get a chance to explain myself?

Any employer reference has be factual, so you need to assume that the reference will say that.

Whilst being suspended your colleagues and anyone working with the patient would have been interviewed. You don't know who put in the original complaint which could have come from a family member. Being suspended for months does indicate that someone's interview has also raised questions so the original allegation can be added to. Once everyone's statements are in then you would have been either going to another investigation meeting or a disciplinary or a meeting to arrange your return to work. I'd written the above assuming you were a full time employee and the NHS were paying your wages during suspension.

You have no evidence that nothing was proved and the reference cannot give more detail than saying you resigned under investigation.

Comms69

Toxicshard wrote: »

I tried to see the investigation out. I fully cooperated with everything they wanted but they refused to meet me to discuss the incident. I have email logs of the communication between me and the manager where she refused to meet me. I had to resign to get another job as I had run out of money and needed another job quickly. - just realised you were zero hours... why didn't you just not resign and got a new job?!?! I didn't put the job I'm talking about on my CV to get the job I do now. - so you lied to get your current job too?

The union wouldn't help me as they said as I was a bank worker on a 0 hours contract I had little to no rights and there was nothing they could do.

Indeed. but you seem to be missing the point; you were zero hours - you could've just got a new job; there was no need to resign....