Stonewalled

I'm sorry you have had the experience but you have left now. Try to move forward with a good conscience and care for your husband and mother who will need and appreciate you more.

Just be thankful you’re out of it..

I appreciate your kind words. I just haven't experienced this kind of stonewalling before, it's just so rude and unprofessional.

was this a paid position ?
i thought employers were obliged to provide a reference, in uk.
suggest you ring daniel barnett on lbc 9pm ? sunday.
he is a barrister who answers queries;
he specialises in employment law.
all the best.

sorry, am not sure if he is on saturday night, lbc radio.

I think many employers now, particularly in large organisations, only provide written confirmation of the period during which a person was employed.

I know this became the policy of all the central London solicitors that I worked for.

i feel your pain , you can write a letter emphisising the issues that you have had , even though you have left , do a factual one send it to the HR and the Ceo then they have to address your issues

Let it go and don’t dwell on it, life’s too short.

Legally they can't say an awful lot in a reference. It tends to be about attendance mainly. Sounds like you're well shot of them. Don't worry, you've plenty of other references if and when required.

Shake that mean-spirited, petty office dust off your feet and enjoy not being in that atmosphere! Those people and that situation are all in your rearview mirror now!!

Thanks everyone. I guess if I need to cover that gap, I can reach out to long-standing clients. I was extremely tearful this week because of the professional ghosting. I had noticed that the woman giving me problems was down to go to the headquarters on the friday (I left on the wednesday) which made me think that she was sticking the knife in by lying about me to the senior bosses. Personally speaking, if someone hasn't seen or heard anything then they should be professional and open to communication.

it doesn't really matter what she or they thought of you or said, does it ?
don't let the thought of it drag you down.
you are not responsible for what they do.
only for what you do.
make the most of your life.
you are well out of that place.

Eloethan

I think many employers now, particularly in large organisations, only provide written confirmation of the period during which a person was employed.

I know this became the policy of all the central London solicitors that I worked for.

I’m retired now, but this was increasingly the case even when I was still working. I think it’s probably because of data protection etc. Past and potential employers normally just share factual information about employment dates, positions held and periods of absence. I’m sure that your former employers would provide this if it were required. And it sounds as if you have other people who would provide more qualitative information if necessary. As others have said, would be probably be better if you simply left this rather sorry episode behind you. We don’t always get treated fairly at work, and colleagues etc certainly don’t always behave as well as they should. I am pleased you’ve been able to exit the situation and are not having to deal with it anymore.

You've left, whats the problem. Stop wasting your energy on something that is beyond your control.

I worked as a temp for some years and I found that I was treated differently to permanent staff but I didn’t really expect it to be any different.
I experienced something similar to you in that I had been working as a temp at a local college for over a year - shortly after I arrived for work one Friday I took a call from the staff agency to say I was no longer required after that day. This happened whilst my line manager was off on sick leave and the agency told me the step-up line manager had phoned them to say my contract had been terminated. The agency couldn’t believe they weren’t giving me at least a week’s notice as I’d been there so long. Other staff members could hardly look me in the eye and the step-up manager just giggled with embarrassment. However I managed to keep my feelings under control for the rest of the day and said nothing.
Fast forward six months I got another call from the agency saying the college had requested me to return to do the same job in the same team ! I took delight in telling the agency I’d now found a permanent job (but there was no way I was going back anyway).
Around that time my son started at the same college and I bumped into the team members and the step-up line manager - they were all very pleasant and so was I 🤣.
Working through an agency I always expected requests for references were made to the agency not where I was being employed but I suppose it would be different if you weren’t working through an agency.
As others have said it would probably be better for you now to move on and hopefully find somewhere else that appreciates you more.

Sorry you had that experience, Frogs. It must have been great to tell them you had a permanent job - good for you! :-)
Temps are disposable, and it's easy to pin problems on them. I am currently applying for jobs. Luckily for me I have had three managers from my previous role all coming forward to offer to be a referee. I just think it's disgusting that they couldn't even return my polite emails. You are right that I should just move on. I will also remember the amazing interactions I had with clients and other staff members. It also helped me this week that I chucked their very cheap present of a mug in the bin!