To be FURIOUS if I don’t get this job!

[LaLaLaDiDahLa]

I was offered a job 6 weeks ago. Literally offered it within a hour of the interview. I was stunned and gladly accepted.

It’s a perfect job for me as a returner to work after being a SAHM for 8 years, great hours, mix of office and WFH, great pay and benefits, my would be boss is really nice and I’ll be working in a team of women of a similar age to me so hopefully I’ll fit in. Also opportunity to progress as it’s a huge organisation.

It was only my 2nd interview after starting to look for work and I had another one scheduled that I cancelled and also had interview requests from another 3 jobs that I didn’t take any further.

I was told I’d start in about a month.

Anyway, I got the offer a month! later with a start date of this week. I had to complete the new starter info on an online portal and provide references. This said I had to provide references for the last 3 years and provide character refs for any period of employment.

As I haven’t been employed for 8 years, I provided character refs. The HR hub responded that these alone aren’t enough so I said they could contact my previous two employers and thought I’d better chase them up as well.

Found out my employer of 12 years ago has no record of me as they only have to keep staff information for 6 years if they’ve left and they had a new database installed last year so they didn’t carry over anything over 6 years old.

My employer of 8 years ago is not responding to my requests to see if they’ve still got my records and I kept being told someone will get back to me but they don’t.

I have offered pension statements from both those jobs as proof I worked there but new employer’s HR people have said they won’t accept them as it doesn’t show dates of employment! My would be boss is trying to get them to give me a break but I’m expecting the offer will be withdrawn.

So I’ll have been hanging around waiting to start a job for 6 weeks when potentially I could have been offered one of the other jobs and started it.

It is clear from my CV I haven’t worked for 8 years. I don’t want to be pissed at my would be boss but she must have known the references policy!

When I was self employed, they accepted a HMRC report from the tax years to show that I worked there and paid tax.

You could print your tax returns for the years of employment to show you worked there and hopefully that's enough

I wouldn't assume the line manager knew the references policy. HR can operate entirely separately from other functions, and policy changes over time.

As above, HMRC have tax and NI records going back decades. I'm not sure how long the online records go back though, and manual searches are taking several months at the moment (currently waiting for one).

Did you not keep any payslips etc? As suggested above, you need to ring HMRC and they will send you a letter for the tax years you request confirming the employer you paid tax through for that period. It can take a couple of weeks though so ring them asap.

You will probably run into this issue with other employers so it's worth making the call.

Do you know anyone on management at the previous employers who you could contact fir a personal reference plus provide HMRC links.

You need to complete and send a form to HMRC.

www.gov.uk/get-proof-employment-history

Thanks for the tax info. It only goes back to 2016 on my gov gateway account. I’ll do the form thanks!

It's odd they didn't ask for the references when they offered the job, most do so the checks etc can be started promptly and before starting. Seems like there's some good advice re: hrmc so hopefully you can get it sorted.

It looks as if only 5 years are available but you could check here:
www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account

Here in Germany you have to be given a reference, in writing, whoever you leave a job. When did that stop in UK?

I don’t know anyone on management at previous employers unfortunately. I know my previous boss retired as it was in the local press and I don’t recognise anyone on the staff list on the company website of the other one (and can’t remember surnames of other colleagues!).

@CorrBlimeyGG how long ago did you request a manual search if you don’t mind me asking?

The reason why your old employers don’t have data is because data protection laws (can’t remember exactly which ones but I’m sure someone else would know) prevent them from retaining data for that long. Surely your new HR department are also aware of these laws, you might want to remind them. Basically, the probably shouldn’t be asking for this info.

@Brefugee

Here in Germany you have to be given a reference, in writing, whoever you leave a job. When did that stop in UK?

Not worth the paper it's written on - very easy to forge. I don't know if it has ever been acceptable in U.K.

Yep. Even 20 years ago, I remember having to give contact details so new employer could contact old employer directly. Used to be a paper form by post!

If they withdraw the offer it might be worth pursuing a sex discrimination case on the grounds that women taking a break to raise a family is discriminated against by this blanket policy

You can get a screen shot of which years you worked in terms of your contributions to your UK pension. In the gov UK website. It should go back to when you first started work.

Oh, how stressful and horrible!

It is rubbish - and I would agree with @CorrBlimeyGG that often there is a complete lack of communication between HR and line managers, or HR and whoever interviews you. A while back I interviewed for a job and conscientiously explained that, although they required a reference from my line manager at my 'current or most recent employer,' in my case this would be someone who'd barely met me (very unusual in my field; it'd usually be someone who knew you very well). HR said fine. My main feedback from the interview panel 'well, your reference was from someone who barely knew you! They said nice things but we expect them to know you really well.'

It was so annoying as my previous line manager had only moved on mere weeks ago, and they'd begged her to stay; she'd have been happy to write me a very positive and detailed reference, but HR said no.

I learned from that (and should probably have learned before) that if you so much as suspect your application is being held up because of a technicality, you really need to argue your case as strongly as possible.

Bank statements showing wages being paid? Old P60s?

Sorry to suggest if not; I keep everything I’ve ever had. I’ve even got my first credit card statement from when I was 18.

Good luck.

Ahh I hope you get something sorted. What a nightmare!

Keeping a persons name, and dates of employment in a database isn't breach of data protection laws.

OP is the HR function that's on boarding you an outsourced company? I come across this often as a contractor. Generally there is an onshore HR relationship manager assigned to the business operation that may be more helpful.

Did you by chance keep your P60's from previous employment as well as your P45?

how long ago did you request a manual search if you don’t mind me asking?

Mid September. We know they've got the form, it has been scanned onto the system, but not heard anything since.

The last company I worked for had this policy. Loads of managers were not aware they could not over ride it. Most assumed it was a 'preference' not a strict rule.

We managed to challenge it and have it changed. As above,we argued that it disproprionally impact people who had been beeb sahp (usually women) and people who had not been in work. Specifically mentioning people with disabilities, both visible and invisible as well as other groups who are already at a disadvantage when looking for work. Basically, we told them it was only a matter of time, before someone challenged them which would cost money, even if they didn't win.

They changed the policy. HR were shit and never thought policies through.

It’s NHS isn’t it? Trac jobs? It’s absolutely arcane.

I’m not being funny but I think you are screwed if your previous employers are so rubbish with retaining such important information, you practically don’t have references.

Can you not contact any of your old bosses directly?