Bullying made me resign - what to tell new potential employer?

[flyingbunnies]

Hi, all.

I have posted before about being too scared after bullying to get another job.

Well, I did begin applying, and now have got to the 'final round' interview.

However, I am really worried as I had to give my most recent employer as a reference, and because I made a grievance when another member of staff assaulted me, and took a week signed off with stress, and was signed off with stress through the last two weeks of my notice, I am worried this will mean I will lose out on this great job at the final hurdle.

The stress was because I was constantly being bullied, including physically touched, and I am generally a very robust person so this does not accurately represent my character. I worked at another location of my previous employer for several years with hardly any absences, but my ex manager has left.

The new employer says that if attendance at the previous job was not 'satisfactory' then they 'may not' be able to proceed with an offer.

Telling them what happened makes me sound like a troublemaker and not telling them will mean I look unreliable.

Does anybody know what I should do for the best?

I don't have any advice but am in a similar position myself. I've not got to the final stage yet myself but am dreading as I had much longer absence than yourself (I let it get much worse as I soldiered on believing that my bully would leave me alone if I kept my head down - which of course didn't happen). I've had to ask for references but I've asked for it from my line manager before the bully as she was manager for much longer. I think in your position I would be truthful and very frank, I have been with some of the temporary agencies I've signed up with and they have heard this many times before. It may be worth asking an agency what they would advise as some of them have had experience of this before and may be able to give a different perspective. In the final analysis you had an unblemished work record before this, you can show direct correlation between this persons behaviour and your ill health and no previous incidence. You have a grievance and could in point of fact made it a police matter with the assault. If it was abscence for a badly broken leg would you be worried in the same way? It was a situation not of your making and you deserve to be able to move on. I really hope your new prospective employers look at the facts and gain a new committed employee in you. and all the best for you.

Did you report the assault to the police? It would certainly make it easier to explain if you could say there was a police file on the matter so you can't say much about it (whilst obv making it obvious you were not the perpetrator!)

Your attendance doesn't sound particularly problematic - three weeks off, is that right? It sounds like you've already declared the absence during the application process (I assume they're not waiting til final interview to query you on absence - that would be odd) so are you worried about them asking you, or what your current employer might say in a reference?

I haven't declared the absence so far., per se. I have provided references, one of which was this employer, being my last employer. So I guess they could already know, but am not sure. They might wait until after the interview to check my references. Not sure when they are usually checked.

I didn't report the assault to the police, no. I made a grievance about it, which is on file, but at the time, I was told it 'wasn't a police matter' by the ex employer, and it was implied that I was being 'too sensitive', because the person that assaulted me was also female.

Obviously in hindsight, I should have reported it, but I was scared and very vulnerable at the time, and needed my job.

I think the reasons why you were "off sick" sound reasonable.
If asked simply explain you were assaulted by another member of staff, felt you could no longer work there and were signed off whilst you waited for your notice period. Be honest, don't go into masses of detail but lay out the facts. I have recruited quite a few employees and it wouldn't put me off, sickness absence is only a minor consideration when I recruit, I'm more interested in the person and whether or not they are/seem capable of doing the job.

Good luck and have confidence in yourself.