My ex-boss is going to give me a bad reference as a sickie-thrower

Reader had overall health concerns and was persuaded not to renew her contract. Now she worries about her reference. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

Twice a week we publish the issues that will characteristic in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy tips column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer you their very own guidance and recommendations. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Right here is the most current dilemma – what are your ideas?

I had a good deal of time off perform with well being issues in the initial half of last year. In June I received a new manager, who determined that the time I’d had off was just due to stress (it wasn’t) and advised me that I needed to be 100% committed going forward and that calling in sick had to quit. As I could not guarantee that I would not get any time off in the following two months, I was persuaded not to renew my contract.

I am now occupation-hunting. The manager is clear that she has to give a “true reference”, and a important component of that will be that when I am stressed, I contact in sick. Right up until this yr it has been uncommon for me to be off ill. I have regarded contacting my boss from the job ahead of this one particular to ask for a reference emphasising how tiny time I had off sick in the eight years I was there. I am sure that if I explained the reason, he would do this.

My GP has suggested that if an HR division has a problem with the present manager’s reference, they ought to contact him and he can explain my then health problem and how it is not anxiety-associated and how I am much more-or-much less recovered.

I hope an HR division would feel my GP. Nonetheless, my fear is that it would not get that far – an HR department would see my reference, see that it tends to make me out to be a sickie-thrower and basically make a decision not to proceed without having giving me the possibility to solution.

Do you require advice on a operate issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ support, send a short email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to solution questions of a legal nature or reply personally.

My ex-boss is going to give me a bad reference as a sickie-thrower