Panicking about references for new job

[O_O]

I've recently accepted a new job, after five years at my current company. I'm pleased to be making this change as it is a salary rise and I'll have the oportunity to move to a much larger town and start afresh.


However, last year I ended up being signed off work for about six months for a complicated miscarriage and subsequent anxiety and traumatic stress. My current boss was extremely supportive during this time and helped to ease me back into work. I've been working again for around six months now. My boss understood my reasons for wanting to leave when I handed in my notice last week, although he wanted me to stay.


My new company is just getting references and I am terrified that once they find out about the long term sick leave they will withdraw their offer. It wasn't something I brought up in the interview as I wasn't asked and it didn't seem relevant at the time. Now I wonder whether I should have.


I've never had much sick leave before this incident and no gaps in my employment for the last decade since I started working. I've always been valued by my employers and have done well.


I work for a large company so the reference process is just dealt with by our HR department. I imagine that, if asked, they will simply say I was signed off work for six months last year. I have no idea how my new employer might react to this. I am extremely anxious.


I live and work in the UK, if that makes any difference.


I don't know if anybody can advise.

[AMomentofClarity]

Here in the US, most of the time references will simply confirm your employment and that you left in good standing, because they don’t want to have to deal with potential legal ramifications if they say something that can be disputed or isn’t accurate. But maybe it’s different in the UK.

[O_O]

Here in the US, most of the time references will simply confirm your employment and that you left in good standing, because they don’t want to have to deal with potential legal ramifications if they say something that can be disputed or isn’t accurate. But maybe it’s different in the UK.

Thanks, I hope that's the case here. They're a big company, so maybe. I just feel like if my new company asked they would just tell them I'd been signed off for 6 months and that would shock my new employer.

[Scass]

It depends what they ask, but usually companies just pass on dates that you worked. If they do mention the sickness it’ll be a good time for you to discuss it - you have very valid reasons, you seeked help and have been doing very well since.

In my experience most people just reply with the dates, anything else often opens them up for too much crap. Plus if you don’t get the job because of a “bad” reference then your old & new company are opening themselves up to possible action from you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[O_O]

It depends what they ask, but usually companies just pass on dates that you worked. If they do mention the sickness it’ll be a good time for you to discuss it - you have very valid reasons, you seeked help and have been doing very well since.

In my experience most people just reply with the dates, anything else often opens them up for too much crap. Plus if you don’t get the job because of a “bad” reference then your old & new company are opening themselves up to possible action from you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I hope so, I hope they just give my new company the dates of my employment and leave it at that. However, my new company emailed saying that my old company needed my authorisation to divulge 'this information' (though I don't know what 'this information' is) so I told my new company that was fine and they could use my email as authorisation - I didn't want to ask them what they were asking in case it looked like I had something to hide!

My new boss has confirmed my start date 'pending the formal reference'. I'm just freaking out that they'll find out about the time off and withdraw the offer. Hopefully they would be too concerned about legal repercussions to do so.

I just feel like everything I try to do will be thwarted. For a long time when I was ill I thought I was cursed and sometimes that feeling comes back very powerfully.

[Violet Blue]

Well, people who are aware of your threads are used to your dramatic use of language - just now we have 'cursed', but we've also had 'childless', 'relationshipless/sexless', 'dying', 'dead'.

And yet as we all tried to tell you, you're still here doing really well. I'm sure you'll be fine with the references, especially as you say your current boss doesn't want to lose you.

[O_O]

Haven't heard anything from new employer. I'm going to try to get in touch with HR today and see whether they've sent the reference yet.