3 ms·
> This made us think - why are we ignoring the the perspectives of people who actually know what it's like to work with a candidate? Because saying negative th
by tathougies 8y ago
> This made us think - why are we ignoring the the perspectives of people who actually know what it's like to work with a candidate?
Because saying negative things about a past employee can cause you to become liable for libel or slander.
- annawangx 8y agoThe legal aspect is another interesting part of this problem. We have reviewed the legal statutes by state and our terms and conditions make sure our references comply with the law. We require that our references give their feedback without malice and to the best of their knowledge.
- jedberg 8y agoThat won't stop a former employee from suing me though. I might win the case, but I'd still have to pay a fortune to defend myself.
- annawangx 8y agoThis is a good point about reference checks in general.
- tathougies 8y agoYeah, my business law professor told the entire class to just never give references period. There is no gain, and everything to lose. Even saying positive things like 'Employee X was fantastic; she was really good at Y' can be grounds for libel. The employee will claim standing based on the fact that, by saying she was good at 'Y' and not 'Z' (which is what the employer really wanted), it was libel by omission.