Proceed carefully giving info to employees

346

Dear Joan:
Please, some direction from you about writing letters of recommendation for employment followed by how to field telephone questions when the prospective employer calls.

My employer will only give employment dates to prospective employers about former workers. Naturally, this is not enough for my former workers or their potential workplace. How should I proceed?

Answer:
A growing number of employees are suing ex-bosses for giving them negative references. Fear of litigation is making employers such as yours wary of giving out any information other than the dates of employment. Most of these companies insist that all references go through the Personnel Department, so there is no risk of a manager saying the something they'll regret later. You may want to find out how strict your company's policy is before proceeding, since you might be terminated if you violated the policy.

Managers like you-who want to help their former employees and managerial colleagues- are in a tough spot. If you are going to write a letter of recommendation or talk to a prospective employer on the phone, consider the following:

·        Letters of recommendation are usually not as valuable as the employee might think.
Why? When you know your words are indelibly recorded and particularly when you know the employee is going to see it, you are likely to gush in general terms, as in, "I would highly recommend this outstanding employee to anyone." Obviously, without knowing the specifics of the new job, Charlie the outstanding technician may not be so outstanding in a heavy communications job. This is precisely why so many managers won't write letters of recommendation-because they know they have questionable value.

·        If you do write a letter, chose two or three of this person's strong suits and give specific examples by describing exactly what he or she did that demonstrated those skills.  Avoid generalizations or superlatives. Instead of "dependable" and "hard working," for example, you might describe a high-pressure project in which the employee stayed late and came in early to meet his deadline. The emphasis should be on the job they performed FOR YOU, not on the job you THINK they'll do for someone else. If you have to think hard about an employee's redeeming values, you shouldn't consent to writing a recommendation in the first place.

·        Explain to your employees that some potential employers ask the job candidate to sign a release indicating that he or she knows the former boss will be contacted. Former employers sometimes feel more comfortable giving information if they know the applicant has agreed to the process.

·        If the state in which you work has a law allowing employees access to their own personnel records, the employees can obtain information themselves.

They can also obtain public records such as education transcripts from their college or technical school, driving records, federal court records and, in cases of positions requiring physical labor, checks on workmen's compensation insurance records.

·        When the prospective employer calls, respond with factual data.

Answer the questions with examples so the listener knows exactly how you are interpreting the question. For example, if the question is, "How was his attendance?" say, "He missed 5 days last year and 7 days the year before." If you can't be that specific, it might be wise to tell the caller you'll get your file and call back.

Here are some other questions to expect (or ask, if the shoe is on the other foot) from Robert Half's booklet, "How to Check References When References are Hard to Check":

·        How does she compare to the person who is doing the job now?

·        If the position is vacant, what skills will you look for? If he was good, why didn't you try to induce him to stay?

·        When there was a particularly urgent assignment, what steps did she take to make sure it was done on time?

·        None of us is perfect at everything. Please describe her shortcomings. (For this one, it's even more important to stay factual and describe specific incidents in context. I've heard some managers use honest but "faint praise," which speaks volumes.)

·        Have you seen her current resume? Let me read the part that describes her job with your company...could you comment?

·        He said his salary was $40,000 a year. Did that include bonus, overtime, fringe benefits?

·        All employees don't like all other employees. Did she have problems with any type of person in particular? (Again, red light.)

Internal Consulting Skills for HR Professionals is Joan Lloyd’s intensive, interactive full-day workshop for HR practitioners.  Human resources professionals—both functional experts and generalists—have a new found opportunity to act as internal consultants who can help their organizations with organizational changes, performance coaching, conflict mediation and other value-added services. This workshop focuses on giving HR professionals the tools and strategies they need to help their organizations as well as advance their careers.

As a participant, you will have an opportunity to work on the problems and opportunities you face in your own organization, as well as to hear innovative ideas from other organizations.  Few training opportunities provide this level of intimate, hands-on experience. Call us for information about having Joan Lloyd work with your HR Team (800) 348-1944.  (Occasionally, we run this workshop as an open enrollment training offering.  Subscribe to Joan Lloyd’s “Article of the Week,” where we announce these sessions, as they are scheduled.)