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I got let go for the egregious reason of job hunting.

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Anonymous

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I got let go for the egregious reason of job hunting.

Literally fired for job hunting. I have no write ups no talks nothing, but when they found out(a company checked to see if I worked there) They told me it is against their policy and I was fired unceremoniously. I was HR and knew all the policies I was told this was a policy in home office. Okay I am in the finals with a few so I don't think it will kill me but I never heard of this.

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  1. Anonymous

    I'm sorry this happened to you. That's absolutely outrageous.

  2. Anonymous

    That is a really crappy reflection on your old company. I can see terminating someone if the company felt they were using company time and/or resources for job searching but to just terminate you because you were looking for a different position elsewhere is really horrid. I would ask that do other jobseekers a favor and leave a Glassdoor review of your old company, calling out this atrocious behavior. Then at least the next person will be aware how that company operates.

    So sorry you are going through that. Just horrid.

  3. Anonymous

    Did you give that Company permission to check with the existing employer? If you did not in Europe where I live it would be a violation of privacy rules and you can sue that company. Although I think it is equally illegal to fire someone for job hunting so you could sue them as well!

  4. misskelleyp

    That says a lot about your old company and how they view their employees. And not good things. Fingers crossed you get another offer soon. And remember to mark the "do not contact current employer" box in the future when job hunting.

  5. Tami Cannizzaro

    And I thought I was the only one this happened to! Omg. It's not illegal. It's just...unusual. In my case, I had interviewed months prior, simply to help a former colleague. Had no interest in the job. In the back of my mind, I knew my company owner was very insecure about people interviewing outside the organization, even asking people to tell them prior to interviewing! Why would anyone alert the boss they "might" be looking for another job? I never mentioned my interview because it was a courtesy to a friend and of course nothing came of it. Needless to say I was blindsided months later by an email from the company owner who stated they "knew I was unhappy so let's part ways". Not only did they not speak to me about any possible concerns they might have, I honestly had no idea what they meant. After I wracked my brain for an hour, I finally figured it out. Like you, at that point I figured "whatever" and worked it to my advantage. Still. It's very odd.

  6. Anonymous

    Be glad you are gone.
    Organization that fires you for looking elsewhere was looking an excuse.

    Employers say 'we can't find workers "....yep.

  7. GirlBossanova934974

    Next time, I would be more careful. Be sure the company you are applying to is not compromising your position at your current company. Be sure there is a written offer on the table and both you and your future employer SIGN IT before anyone goes out and starts sniffing around your current company. The offer letter can always say "pending satisfactory background check" or something like that. That way if the current company decides to do something like they just did, you have your ticket punched into your new job.

  8. Maggie Stone

    Good advice.
    I also check no contact or if I am a finalist on the application and explain that there are no issues, I just don’t want them to know I am looking.

  9. Anonymous

    Doesn't sound like your company is loyal either.

  10. Anonymous

    Says a lot about your company then. And I don't mean that in a nice way.

  11. Anonymous

    love how you are implying , looking elsewhere means you are lazy . what a toxic mentality. it needs to stop. when my job was moving and commute was to become hellish , i started looking ... does that make me a bad person, a lazy emplyee ....

  12. Anonymous

    I had something like this happen. I didn’t give permission to the new company I was interviewing with to contact my current company. I take it as a red flag that the new company would even do this unless they for sure are offering you a new job. Even then why contact the current company putting the employee in a bad position. I had actually gave notice at my current job because it was so toxic I was leaving either way when the new company called they were mad that I gave notice before I got an offer from them. To me it was none of their business. I gave notice while I was in the interview process with them because my mental health was in a bad place and I didn’t base me leaving off of whether they were going to hire me or not. It sucks though in your case because you were not planning to leave when they contacted your current company. Sometimes I think it’s better to leave the name of your current company off you resume application because you never know what some employers will do during the hiring process.

  13. G C Hesse

    Never tell a Headhunter or another Company where you are employed!!!

    Never heard of that being against a person.

  14. Anonymous

    Not that I like it but I agree with this and have seen it happen. People don’t think about what access they may truly have in their role but companies today have to be on top of it, whether IP, security, whatever. The company the OP was interviewing with was out of line and jeopardized the OP’s position.

  15. Lori Laurito Betz

    And who said she was sliding along and “being a lazy girl job” ?? That’s quite an assumption you’re making. I bet quick convos when you find out your employees have applied elsewhere is the ONLY way you get feedback, because something tells me your leadership style inspires a lot of quitting without notice.

    BTW…exactly how does one “be a lazy girl job”?

  16. Patricia

    A lazy girl job is an easy, usually white-collar, job with good pay where an employee can quiet quit.

  17. Anonymous

    There are many reasons to verify employment besides job hunting. How did they know that was the reason? You may have been trying to buy a car or a house. Those require employment verification as well.

  18. Anonymous

    Yeah, it's always a bad idea to reveal to your current employer that you're job hunting. For future reference, if you have an interview scheduled, then you could always make up a story, like you have a doctor's appointment, for example.

    Even if you're in the final rounds with a few companies, I'd still continue applying to jobs. Especially these days when employers are annoyingly picky, they'll try to imagine every rational and irrational reason out there to reject your application. Until you have a signed and dated job offer and your 1st paycheck, there is no job offer.

    Have you looked at staffing agencies? They're not perfect by any means, and they have an irritating tendency to ghost candidates or ignore everything on a candidate's resume because they're only thinking about a quick commission check. They're sometimes worse than used-car salesmen. But, in my experience, staffing agency recruiters are also more serious about hiring someone than talent acquisition recruiters, who work full-time for a corporation. They tend to move a lot faster than their talent acquisition counterparts because an employer who reaches out to a staffing agency to recruit candidates often has a more immediate need for new staff.

    Because they work full-time for benefits from a corporation, talent acquisition recruiters get paid a regular salary whether they hire anyone for a job or not. They like to drag their feet, waste valuable time, and ghost job candidates, thereby placing unemployed job candidates closer and closer to the soup kitchen line with their nonsense. They're a really annoying bunch.

    On the other hand, staffing agency recruiters only get paid when they hire someone. They don't find a candidate for a job? They don't get paid. Therefore, staffing agency types have more incentive to help you acquire a new job. They tend to be more responsive, often answering a resume submission within 2-3 weeks. That's been my experience anyhow. Others' experiences may be different.

    Good luck!

  19. Kathryn

    Yes I am still applying and I am working with two recruiters. Will see where it goes. I just was surprised. All the person did was verify I worked there. I told them i was in a refinancing for my house and that was the call I was not believed and let go. Really Toxic Place atually

  20. Anonymous

    So they addressed it with you, and then you lied about it? I’m on the company’s side here.

  21. Anonymous

    I’m sorry but did you perform or receive reference checks while working at your position in HR? Because if you did you would know anyone performing a reference check cannot misrepresent themselves when asking for employee information. There’s a HUGE amount of liability involved if someone gives out that information to just anyone. That is why most companies relegate that to HR in the first place.

  22. Patricia

    Why does an employee have to be loyal if the employer is not loyal? What if the OP has outgrown their current role and there is no further advancement in that company? Are they supposed to stagnate in the name of loyalty? Why would the OP announce they are job hunting? There's no guarantee they will land the role.......... and given that they were fired for job hunting just proves that this was just an excuse. If she were a valued employee they would most likely counter-offer (if they could afford to).

  23. Heather (she/her)

    I definitely think this isn't fair or moral, but it's also pretty common. Most jobs write you off as not taking the work seriously if they know you're looking.

  24. Anonymous

    Kind of have to agree here. From their point of view, if they know you’re out the door, why not fill your position with someone who wants to be there ASAP?

  25. Kathryn Carr

    Is that even legal where you are?

  26. Kathryn

    yes unfortunately I live in at will state

  27. Anonymous

    They don't need a reason let you go. Sad but true.

  28. Anonymous

    Agreed!

  29. Anonymous

    I’ve never heard of such a thing but to be fired liked that says all you need to know. They don’t care about you at all. Leaving is the best thing anyway.

  30. Kathryn

    Actually I am old enough to give it all to my job while looking. I was looking because it was a very toxic place and sure enough it was

  31. Anonymous

    Why should an employee be loyal when companies aren't. If I want to leave, I'm not telling my current employer that I'm job hunting. If companies want to keep employees, they should have a good working environment, offer good benefits, work-life balance, and a good salary with raises. They don't want to offer that? Oh well, bye bye then.

  32. Wanda Shaw

    I guess the lesson here is to try to be as covert as possible when looking for another job

  33. BethB

    There is a potential lawsuit here depending on where you live. Not criminal but civil since it resulted in the loss of your job specifically because of the call. If a potential employer doesn’t ask if it is ok to contact your current employer, make it clear that it’s not acceptable. There are other ways to “prove” employment. A listing on the company website. A copy of your 1099 with the numbers blacked out, etc.

  34. Crystal Howell

    Interesting, you could have applied for a loan and they would have to verify employment. The company that verified your employment, did they have permission? During interviews, nothing is signed, so I would check that out. Good Luck

  35. Anonymous

    That is so unfortunate.
    Unfortunately these days, it is as if companies take it personally if you seek another employment opportunity. You have the right to do so unless you signed an agreement pledging a lifetime of service, which I doubt. Bear in mind, a lot of companies that do background/employment checks are pretty relentless and do so without regard to the ramifications of the well-being of candidates. They have to identify themselves and show proof of your consent to gather that information.. As someone who worked in HR management for over 15 years, we were prohibited to provide information to just anyone calling without verifiable proof of who was asking and an employee’s permission. That provides notification to your current employer of your job search. If you are trying to keep a job search under your hat going forward, keep in mind that virtually every job application now has a box to check for each job in your employment history if they are permitted to contact that employer. If you aren’t comfortable with your current company knowing about your search, check no. With my current position I was able to provide W2’s and check stubs to prove my employment status. Also, since nothing under the sun on worksite computers is truly confidential, make sure you don’t, under any circumstances do anything related to your search on company time or equipment. A quick search by IT can verify your use of company equipment for personal use which is against the code of conduct at most companies and can be used as grounds for termination.

  36. Eugene Leonard

    unfortunately, the rise of 'at will' employment has led to things like this....you can be fired for 'any reason, or NO reason.' AND, have little or no options to appeal...

  37. Anonymous

    being in HR you should know that is retaliation. Speak to a lawyer, you may not get much but you might get a small severance.

  38. Kathryn

    Yes I am trying to find one right now

  39. Anonymous

    I suppose the company that did the verification IS that stupid to identify who they are. Finance companies don't.

  40. Philmac58

    Oh yes they do. I wouldn’t ever divulge ANY information to ANY company that didn’t verify who they were and provide proof of employee’s permission to obtain that information.

  41. Michele Campbell

    We’re you using your company’s computer to job hunt? How did they know?

  42. Kathryn

    No only from home

  43. Tammy Zane

    Yep it’s sometimes an unspoken rule! I worked one company never written but everyone knew if you left, even looked it’s against their loyalty clause ?‍♀️ once you leave you can never come back crazy but I k ow even in 2023 it’s still in affect

  44. Anonymous

    Good lord.

  45. Rosa E Hearn

    I was demoted because of this.

    My company is all about trust and loyalty. I am in a position with access to pretty much everything, so they needed to do that to limit my access. It took a year, but I received my access back and then some.

    Believe it or not, I took it as a compliment that I was strong enough to hurt the company if I left. Overall, in my state this is normal company behavior since it's an at Will state.

  46. Teresa Solecki

    I thought all Us states were at will but just found Montana is not. Interesting.

  47. Anonymous

    Looking for a job while working at a job, has always been something you do very discreetly. I'm surprised that other company contacted your current employer. Did the company ask you on the application if you were OK with them contacting your employer, because 99% of the time, it's NO?

  48. Kathryn

    I have told everyone no to contacting my current employer. It was actually a bank trying to verify employment to refinance but my exceedingly toxic boss swore it was someone because I was job hunting, I never agreed I was but I was let go anyway

  49. Kris Wolfram

    Instead of firing you, they should have asked why you were looking for another position. By firing you, you should be eligible for unemployment.

  50. Anonymous

    Yes, I did read that but speaking to an attorney and often engaging one though that is the case does often loosen the purse strings when the company knows they don't want to fight. She might get a bit of money and for that it is likely worth it. An hour consult with a lawyer will at least also ease her mind.

  51. Anonymous

    Wow, way to support other women with your toxicity...what I suggested was a one hour which most states have legal referral services that do this for little to no money. It is definitely worth her doing this despite what you believe is a lie. There are 2 sides to every story and frankly I think she is right i checking out what might be possible.

  52. Kathryn

    No I did not lie it was the bank about refinance.

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