New employer requires a reference from current employer

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windo77

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Hi, my wife has been offered a job subject to reference checks. She has been asked to supply the names of two referees, one of which must be her current employer.

She has been told that only the company owner in her current workplace can provide references. However, he is unapproachable at the best of times and is a bully much of the time.

She is afraid that if he provides the kind of reference that merely states "X worked from <start date> to <end date>", the job offer might be withdrawn by the new employer and that life could become very difficult for her if she has to continue to work her current workplace, where the company owner has a reputation for mistreating people who he takes a dislike to.

How can she explain her predicament to her new employer without ruining her chances of the new job offer? Or should she take a chance that the new employer will not withdraw their job offer because her current employer provides a less-than-glowing reference?
 
Actually sounds like your wife could have a case against her current boss for bullying. In any event, she should not supply any references until after she is satisfied through the interview process that she wants the new job. It's a two-way process - she must want the job and they must want her. She is quite within her rights to hold off on naming reference details until after she is satisfied that she wants the job. Good luck.
 
Or she can say that she will only supply the current employer after an offer has been made "subject to references"

Brendan
 
In relation to the employer giving a basic reference stating that your wife only worked from x to y, that is actually becoming more and more common, the large multinational I work for will only give that as will at least one of the banks. Personnaly when I look for a reference that is all I want anyway, it's a confirmation that the individual is who she says she is and worked where she said she worked, everything else is just the opinion of someone I don't know
 
Yes its quite common practice now to simply confirm the start / end date, is there an immediate Supervisor who would provide a reference? rather than the actual owner.
 
She should have an open discussion with the new employer about their expectations re. the reference, and also ask them about their own policy when giving references. I've come across employers who expect to GET references telling them what you had for breakfast, but are only prepared to GIVE references with the bare bones facts.

Is there anyone at senior level in the current employer who would give a verbal reference for her?
 
I work in recruitment for a multi-national and while we always ask for 2 references, we accept that a reference from a current employer is only going to be provided after a job offer has been made "subject to reference"
 
reference

Ask the new employer to include in the offer letter that this offer is subject to the receipt of satisfactory references within the probationary period.
 
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