Redundacy notice can you be sacked

The thing about this whole bad reference issue is a mute point, because who is going to bother writing a bad reference? It would serve only as a way for the person managing the former employee to explain why they didn't like that person's work ethic.

If you were then given said bad reference, would you really use it when looking for new work? Which is why you are more likely just going to get a piece of paper that says "Worked here from x to x.....".

Now that reference might actually be fine if you are just doing unskilled work, as it proves employment. However, if you've been working in an industry a while, it's going to be somewhat unusual if the only letter you can get from your former company is one that says you worked there for four years. It says a lot that there wasn't somebody there in a managerial position, who was willing to write a good character reference for you.
 
Nexus said:
The thing about this whole bad reference issue is a mute point, because who is going to bother writing a bad reference? It would serve only as a way for the person managing the former employee to explain why they didn't like that person's work ethic.
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Moot point. I'm normally pretty good at holding back my grammar nazi nature, but you've failed a whole concept there.
 
I was always told the worst reference you could get or give for some one is a one liner:

"This person worked for me".

In saying nothing, it says it all..... :D
 
I had a job, I asked for holiday for exams and was let go instead because 'it is a busy time and we need people in'.
I moved on, did my exams, started a placement with another company who then offered me a job after Uni. Great!

I supplied my previous employer as references, as I'd worked well while there I thought I'd get a good one. I didn't. My ex-boss claimed I was unreliable.

I tried to take action against it, but my solicitor said that I wouldn't be able to prove that I was reliable so it would be my word vs his, and since I'd been fired it already looked bad, I could claim unfair dismissal and fight that too, but the cost of doing so was out of a students reach.

The job offer was rescinded.

So yes, you CAN be given a legal, bad reference and it CAN ruin your chances at other jobs. And refusing to work your notice period would be a pretty irrefutable reason to supply a bad reference.

I just want people to be aware of this so they can avoid what happened to me.
 
PMKeates said:
Maybe I'm just vindictive Helium_Junkie, but I just could never had let that drop.
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The job offer had been dropped already, so even if I could afford to fight it it wouldn't have done me any good.

From DirectGov:

References must be accurate and shouldn't mislead the employer asking for them. This means that if, for example, you were disciplined when you worked for the employer who's giving you a reference, this may form part of the reference.

If a reference you have been given isn't accurate or is deliberately misleading it may amount to defamation, in which case, you could claim for libel.
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http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Startinganewjob/DG_10026703
 
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Would I need a copy of the reference to do that now? It was years ago and I never even saw the reference, just had it described to me by the HR at the placement.

I wouldn't have called it a disciplinary, basically I requested holiday and then the manager invited me into his office where he told me they needed people who would be in on those days and would have to let me go. I imagine he could spin that as a disciplinary or some such.

He was a right **** that guy :/ But hey, students. You don't have to treat them like people.

Anyway, it's really unimportant now, just something to learn from.
 
nah he'd have a hard job. he would have had to had meetings etc for the whole disciplinary process etc.
 
I used to work for one of the largest Insurance companies in the UK.

They gave a bad reference to a rather senior person upon request who then took them to court and won. From that point onwards company policy was to respond to any reference requests with dates worked and thats it.

As said here its just not worth writing a bad reference. Spite is about the only reason anyone would want to do it.

Larger organisations normally have rules saying individuals are not allowed to provide references (official) and this means HR/personnel respond to requests. Seeing as they often have no idea who the ex employee was thats often why you get the simple basic facts from an HR file.
 
They could but would be bloody stupid too. The sensible thing would be to tell you to finish straight away rather than risk a tribunal that would cost them at least 5k.
 
Helium_Junkie said:
References must be accurate and shouldn't mislead the employer asking for them. This means that if, for example, you were disciplined when you worked for the employer who's giving you a reference, this may form part of the reference.

If a reference you have been given isn't accurate or is deliberately misleading it may amount to defamation, in which case, you could claim for libel.
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EXACTLY.
So once again, as long as you can back it up with HR records then you can say John Smith did several misdeeds but an employer can't just write 'John Smith was crap, his work ethic was crap, don't give him a job' etc.
Now if John Smith got his reference with those things in then he wouldn't use it.
 
They could also word a reference in such a way that wasn't necessarily bad but was obviously not good. They couldn't get done for anything at all then.
 
Ah well had meeting today and been made redundant which sucks...bonus is not having to work thursday/friday and get £3000
 
dmpoole said:
EXACTLY.
So once again, as long as you can back it up with HR records then you can say John Smith did several misdeeds but an employer can't just write 'John Smith was crap, his work ethic was crap, don't give him a job' etc.
Now if John Smith got his reference with those things in then he wouldn't use it.
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Seriously, how do you define bad? To me that means negative, so as long as there's back up an employer can quite easily give a negative reference. Which is bad. Which is legal. Which contradicts your previous posts. :confused:

Sorry to hear you were made redundant. At least you have a payout to tide you over for now, good luck on the finding a new job!
 
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