Press Release
For Immediate Release
Never Assume Your Employer’s “No Reference” Policy Is Being Followed, Countless Employers Do Not Honor A “Neutral Reference” Policy
DETROIT (February 23, 2021) – A frequently heard corporate employment policy is “Our company will only confirm the employment dates and title of our former employees.” In other words, employer commentary about your previous performance, eligibility for rehire, etc., is supposedly off limits to prospective new employers. However, to what extent is this “no reference” policy actually honored in the corporate world?
Not as often as you might think.
While legal and/or corporate guidelines may indeed state that their “no reference” policy only allows that your employment dates/titles can be confirmed, it is generally not illegal per se for a reference to offer negative commentary about you. References can – and very frequently do – offer considerably more commentary to your prospective new employer than simply verifying your employment dates/title. Reference checking company Allison & Taylor indicates that nearly 50% of all references checked reveal some level of negativity.
While negative input that a reference offers about you is not necessarily wrongful or unlawful, some negative input may be illegal – examples include discrimination, defamation, retaliation, disparagement or sexual harassment. Where a third party can document that your reference’s communication was wrongful, inaccurate, malicious and/or may fall under one of these abovementioned categories, you may indeed have the ability – through an attorney – to pursue legal recourse. Most commonly, any negative commentary can typically be easily and effectively addressed through the transmittal of a Cease-&-Desist letter that will admonish an unfavorable reference to honor an appropriate, no reference policy, typically in place for most employers.
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About AllisonTaylor
AllisonTaylor and its principals have been in the business of checking references for corporations and individuals since 1984. AllisonTaylor is headquartered in Rochester, Mich. For further details on services and procedures please visit https://www.allisontaylor.com/.
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