Yesterday there was a post on here that received a lot of attention because OP provided a 4 week notice to their company and they refused to accept it and advised OP that they would be listed as “not able to re-hire” and I saw a lot of uninformed jokes made by people who said “Oh GeE tHaNkS tHaTs KiNd Of ThE PoInT oF mE qUiTtInG”
Something that became painfully aware to me is that people on this subreddit don’t understand what this means from an HR perspective. When you use references from previous companies something the HR representative from your potential new company will ask while checking on the reference is “Would you re-hire this person?” Which is a way for the new company to ask your old company if you were let go for some reason or if you were a “problem” employee.
The reason they word it this way is to avoid any kind of defamation/libel lawsuit for claims that cannot be substantiated. Them telling your potential new employer that you are not able to be re-hired is a huge red flag for the company looking to hire you. That is why what OP’s employer said is so important, they are not so vaguely trying to threaten OP and scare them into not looking for another job.
In the post I’m referencing it appears that this is not an issue as OP has already accepted the position at the new company. There is no saying that if they figure out the new company that OP was hired at that they won’t contact their HR department to advise that OP is not able to be re-hired as a means of retaliation which could cause the offer to be rescinded and again this would prevent them from being able to be sued as they are not stating anything that isn’t true in regards to OP.
So, to the people who think that was a ridiculous thing to say to OP, it wasn’t and it is 100% a threat that leaves you with little repercussions so keep that in mind when you plan to switch companies – either don’t use your old company as a reference or ensure that you have the job offer prior to submitting your notice and do not let your current employer know which company hired you.