National Register of Sacked People - for New Bosses To Check

cazziebo

Of course, you're right ObutW. However, my experience is exactly the same as PasturesNew. Most of my experience over the last 12 or so years has been in the SME sector (I worked for huge companies before that) and I'm really quite shocked at some of the practices I uncover.

No real policies or procedures, people dismissed (and hired!) on a whim, scant regard to some basic human rights never mind health and safety... I could go on and on. Oh, and many of them have Investors in People status!! :eek:

I'm in two minds about this. It could protect small companies from being ripped off by dishonest employees, but could totally compromise the position of job applicants if malicious or incorrect information was entered. (Look how many errors you find on your credit file! And how many people actually check it?)

Oldernotwiser

cazziebo wrote: »

Of course, you're right ObutW. However, my experience is exactly the same as PasturesNew. Most of my experience over the last 12 or so years has been in the SME sector (I worked for huge companies before that) and I'm really quite shocked at some of the practices I uncover.

No real policies or procedures, people dismissed (and hired!) on a whim, scant regard to some basic human rights never mind health and safety... I could go on and on. Oh, and many of them have Investors in People status!! :eek:

Oh, I know it happens, but the protection is there if people knew about it and would use it. Don't get me started on Investors in People!!

Conor_3

It doesn't matter. Already the lawyers have said they'll be able to have a field day with this. Basically, private lawsuits filing for defamation of character. The route they intend for their clients is not only to target the companies making the entries but the company running it and the ISP of the company.

And if the companies don't tell their staff they've made the entry, the Data Protection Registrar can fine them too.

I doubt it'll last long under the weight of bad publicity and several very expensive lawsuits.

CFC

I hope it won't last long. The government is to blame for this, with its efforts to grab all personal data going and its push for huge databases. (Not to mention its laxness with the data it already possesses.) It encourages other organisations to follow suit.

Google no2id for further information, and to have your hair stand on end when you realise exactly how bad it has got without most people realising it!

PasturesNew

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Employment protection legislation applies to both large and small organisations, as does your choice of whether or not to belong to a union. I'm sure that many people act as you say out of ignorance but, hopefully, information offered by sites like this will enable staff to know and understand their rights.

People, especially those in small companies, don't know about employment legislation. This is something that people in larger organisations are most likely unaware of. If you work in a small company, doing your best and that stops for any reason, you just get on and find another job. You don't spend time thinking there's any comeback etc.

As for a choice of belonging to a union. That's the first I've ever heard of that and I have worked for over 30 years. I don't know the first thing about unions. How would that work then? If you worked for a one-man business ...? I'm not sure I see the relevance.

I thought unions were all about doing pay bargaining and/or strikes for big companies and the public sector.

Yes, sites like this are now helping to advise people. But this never used to be the case. Before information was freely available you pretty much just got on with your lot.

I was "sacked" in 1999. Crazy boss had a factory and would randomly dismiss people. If, say, you had a genuine and pre-allowed excuse to be into work late by 10 minutes on one occasion and you were walking across the car park into the building (late) and he saw you, he'd sack you on the spot. I was "sacked" because the boss simply decided he didn't want to speak to me. The manager given the task of doing the deed said to me "You and I both know there's no sackable offence here. It's just the way he does things". But from that I thought to try to take it up would require a big solicitor bill. So I got on the phone and had another job by the following Monday in this instance.

You just write it off and put it behind you.

I am now starting to hang out here because I want to get a job and reading around there seems to be a lot of stuff I had no idea existed.

Maybe next time I meet an employer from hell, I will post here and see what happens

PasturesNew

Conor wrote: »

It doesn't matter. Already the lawyers have said they'll be able to have a field day with this. Basically, private lawsuits filing for defamation of character. The route they intend for their clients is not only to target the companies making the entries but the company running it and the ISP of the company.

And if the companies don't tell their staff they've made the entry, the Data Protection Registrar can fine them too.

I doubt it'll last long under the weight of bad publicity and several very expensive lawsuits.

While this additional information is of some benefit, it doesn't say that a company has to tell you (ex-staff now, not staff) that they made an entry. And there's no apparent obligation on the list-keeper to check that you know about it.

So, again, if you didn't know you were on the list .... who knows if you'd ever find out, yet you'd potentially suffer for being on it.

bert&ernie

Conor wrote: »

It doesn't matter. Already the lawyers have said they'll be able to have a field day with this. Basically, private lawsuits filing for defamation of character. The route they intend for their clients is not only to target the companies making the entries but the company running it and the ISP of the company.

And if the companies don't tell their staff they've made the entry, the Data Protection Registrar can fine them too.

I doubt it'll last long under the weight of bad publicity and several very expensive lawsuits.

I'd agree with this assessment. Interesting article on this here

London_Exile

Don't like the sound of this. yet another example of state sponsored spying, etc. My worry is that these "databases" are seldom secure, the data will eventually be sold onto third parties and worst of all the data may not be accurate.

It's just another example of a survielliance society. And yet again it will be the honest who will suffer from this rather than stopping those who have been sakced for misconduct. Very sad state of affairs.

boldaslove

i wonder if they'll be setting up a database for referencing bad employers?? i would love that having had some terrible managers in the past!

in all seriousness this is worrying. isn't this what references are for?

London_Exile

Bold, oh yes. I could name a few rotten employers............like my last lot.