ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 3, 1997 TAG: 9703030108
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
"WHY ASK? Won't tell" might be an appropriate catchphrase, in these litigious times, for a disturbing workplace trend.
Many employers have quit giving bad references for former employees, fearing they will be sued by the workers for saying bad things about them. Many employers also have quit giving good references for former employees, fearing they will be sued by new employers for not having said bad things that should have been said.
So, if employers fear that they can't give bad references, and that they can't give good references, that leaves ... no references. Beyond confirming employment and job title, many employers will say nothing at all about a former employee.
That frees workers from the weight of carrying old baggage from one job to the next, a big help, right?
Wrong. Not for most people.
Getting a job is getting harder, because good employees don't have the advantage of glowing references that can pave the way from one job to the next, a deserved reward for their work. Companies are forced to depend almost solely on the impressions an applicant makes in the job interview - or to limit their search for talent to the good ol' boy network, which automatically excludes many qualified people.
Is the fear of being sued legitimate? While 63 percent of personnel departments surveyed in 1995 did not provide information about former employees for fear of being sued, only 17 percent actually reported that they had been challenged by a former worker. And employers have the right, of course, to provide bad references that are accurate and made in good faith.
Small and midsized companies could face financial ruin, however, if they had to defend against even a frivolous suit - a chance they can't afford, no matter how slight.
Business advocates would like immunity from being sued over job references - but what, then, would protect workers from employers who truly have damaged them by passing along rumors or false information?
The one certainty in all of this is that, in aggregate, both employers and employees are hurt when accurate information cannot flow freely. Almost as certain is that this knot cannot be untangled in court.
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB