Would They Refuse To Give Me A Reference

[abbeyleigh]

I've started a new job and they want 2 years of employment references. One of them I got fired from as they didn't have faith but realistically I don't think I was ready. Would that go against me?

[bednobs]

if a firm cares about references, its unusual to start someone before they get them.

[Zacs-Master]

Quite possibly.

[bednobs]

but you will at least have the chance to show them how rilliant you are in case it does

[eve1974]

In uk it’s illegal to give a “bad” reference (or so I’ve been told). I guess the worst that cld happen is that they may be very brief n simply confirm that you worked for them from x date to y date.

[Buenchico]

>>> In uk it’s illegal to give a “bad” reference (or so I’ve been told)

Utter rubbish. Giving a bad reference might go against accepted codes within certain areas of employment but to do so is most definitely NOT illegal.

Anyone is free to write whatever they like about another person, and to provide that information to whomever they like, as long as they don't unfairly defame that person's character. (I'm clearly disregarding things like writing racially abusive social media comments about football players, etc, in my statement, as such matters aren't relevant here).

So, if a former employer wants to write "Fred Bloggs was the laziest employee I've ever had, with an appalling attendance record, disgusting personal hygiene, a total disregard for health and safety laws, no understanding whatsoever of acceptable customer service standards, constantly argumentative, often drunk at work and sometimes physically threatening as well", he's perfectly entitled to do so as long as those statements are true.

I wish that more employers would write genuine and meaningful references like that!

[ToraToraTora]

as Chris says it's not illegal to give a bad reference but firms usually don't so they avoid any potential law suits etc. Many firms these days will not give any sort of reference, they merely confirm dates of employment.

[THECORBYLOON]

"Defamation claims, when it comes to bad employee references, are quite common. However, they are also difficult to prove and largely depend on the circumstances surrounding the claim. It must be proven that the employer provided a poor or false reference with malicious intent. If the reference was provided without malice and the employer believed the contents of the reference to be true (even if they are untrue), then they can’t be successfully sued for defamation."

https://employmenttribunal.claims/job-references/

[William51]

The being fired may not go against you, describe it as having a learning experience and that you have moved on, your new employers may respect you for it.

[Atheist]

I think most would tend to give a reasonable reference so that they could get rid of the unsatisfactory employee.
There are some really wicked references, such as "You will be very fortunate if you manage to get this person to work for you..." "His/her standard of work has to be seen to be believed..."