Any advice on uk interviews/is this unlucky or dodgy.........?.!?

A friend of mine was told she would be losing her job at the end of March due to department restructures etc but was verbally offered a lesser paid filing job in the same building. She said yes to this but continues to job hunt, as even now she has no definite written offer of the filing job.


She was previously told she would not get a very favourable reference-this is up to the employer but from what i have seen, a little unfair when she frequently worked late to finish things,covered extra work when the senior staff were away etc. At a performance meeting she was asked why things had not been done in the week that her manager and collegue both took for holiday/a boob job-leaving her and one other to do everything!


She does not get paid to do overtime but frequently stays to finish things.


Twice her bosses have been through her desk.


Today she had an interview in a different building/area, same organisation, for a different job.


Instead of going sick(she was too worried about what could be said), she told her boss she would be going for interview in the morning and needed the day off, especially as she would need to travel some way.(same company so she thought an amount of honesty was best!)


the interview was in the afternoon as it happened!


She has now phoned me in a dither as it appears that the interviewer today divulged the fact that she went this afternoon for interview to her current bosses-they in return have questioned why she needed the day off!this struck me as rather nasty-especially in this climate when she has no firm job offer.


She has no clear indicator of who she can go to above her current bosses to discuss things-she has previously suffered from depression and although now fully recovered is becoming very anxious about things.


I said it would be worth talking to the citizens advice bureau as she feels that an iffy reference may hamper any chances of employment at the moment.


she said she has not made any mistakes to note and works hard therefore is worried by the reference they may have provided.


What do people think?Any advice on uk interviews/is this unlucky or dodgy.........?.!?
I can't answer in great detail without (believe it or not) more comprehensive information. She is more than entitled to invoke a grievance procedure and a company handbook or T%26amp;C''s within CoE will detail how it is fact covered.





Be clear however they CAN'T give a bad reference!!! Oh there are ways of course, I have seen many glowing references and right at the bottom when it asks ';would you re-employ person?'; The say ';NO.'; Which tends to tell you all you need to know. Refusal to give a reference is quite legal and again communicates 'a message.'





It very much sounds like a 'witch hunt,' and without playing 'devils advocate' here your friend would seem to be between a rock %26amp; a hard place.





This is exactly the sort of case I would look at but would need to really get a feel for the case. To bring one against them presently would be likely restricted to a claim for constructive dismissal; which one should not throw away lightly, settlements with a PROVEN case can be 'reasonable' but do take time.





The balance of your friend鈥檚 situation seams to be about pre-empting what might happen next and until it does you can only wait. Document EVERYTHING, and also document what the personnel file holds on the individual (if indeed you know) although you can request a copy at any time quite freely. They may not refuse you.





Curtis