Employment relationships don’t always end well. For instance, perhaps you left without providing two weeks’ notice. Legally, you haven’t done anything wrong, as two weeks’ notice is not required. However, you may be less likely to get a glowing recommendation from that employer as you search for another job.
But it is important for that employer to be honest when addressing you in the future, no matter how they feel about the end of the relationship. What does it mean if they defame you, and how could this be a violation of your rights?
Knowingly false statements
In general, defamation is when someone makes knowingly false statements, and those statements then have a negative impact on another person or business. There are two main types of defamation, which are libel for written statements and slander for spoken statements.
For example, say that a prospective employer calls your old boss, and they simply talk about how you left without warning and how they were unhappy about it. This is fine because that actually did happen, even if it reduces your chances of getting the next job.
But say that your employer says they would never hire you because you were stealing from the company, and your quality of work was the worst that they’ve ever seen. In actuality, you never committed any type of theft or embezzlement, and you have a track record of glowing reviews from when you worked at the company. Your work was excellent, and you didn’t break any laws, so your employer is defaming you by falsely claiming otherwise.
This could harm your reputation, your ability to get another job, and much more. Be sure you know what legal steps to take.