Franke James is Editor/Founder of Office-Politics.com and Inventor of the Office-Politics® Game.

Peter R. Garber has worked as an HR professional for over 25 years and is the author of many business books including: Winning the Rat Race at Work and 100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of your Boss.

Dina Beach Lynch, is an Ombudsman, Author and former attorney. An award-winning mediator, Dina served as the Corporate Ombudsman for the 7th largest bank in the US helping over 48,000 employees to resolve workplace issues.

Dr. Rick Brandon is CEO of Brandon Partners. He has consulted and trained tens of thousands at corporations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries.

Dr. Marty Seldman is one of America's most experienced executive coaches. His 35-year career includes expertise in executive coaching, group dynamics, cross-cultural studies, clinical psychology, and training.

Arnie Herz, is a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution and client counseling.

Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities.

I was romantically linked to a female colleague... In the end, she accused me of having been pursuing her, in such a way as to cause her distress..

June 2005

Dear Office-Politics,

I was briefly romantically linked to a female colleague, who then proceeded to mess me around over the course of the following year. In the end, she accused me of having been pursuing her, in such a way as to cause her distress. There was no truth in this, but a month or two later I found that I had lost my job. I do not know if my colleague was responsible. I was on a casual contract, and therefore was in a vulnerable position - easy to dismiss. She was on a permanent contract, in a more senior position.

There is nothing I can do about the position I lost, but I'm worried that she may have said something that will appear on my references from the Head of School (it was an academic job). I don't see that I have any way of finding out, and currently I can't help but list the Head of School as one of if not my main referee for applications that I make. Am I worried about nothing?

Nervous Job Applicant

Dear Nervous Job Applicant,

Your concerns are valid.  Of course you want to know if there are any unfair adverse references in your file.

First, take the practical step of asking the school to send you a letter of reference. This will let you know if there is a problem or not. 

If the letter is negative or if they refuse to send one to you, then I recommend you consult with a local employment lawyer to find out your rights. You may (or may not) have the right to review your file and contest any adverse references and/or put in your response. Also, if you feel there are untruths in the file, perhaps you have a defamation claim.

Knowledge is power. Getting knowledge will let you know what is possible.  

Thanks for writing to Office-Politics.

Arnie Herz

Arnie Herz, Esq.
Author, LegalSanity
Attorney at Law

Feedback from Nervous Job Applicant

Thank-you to Arnie and also to Franke. I will be writing to the School next week to ask them for a reference. This is for several jobs that I will be applying for over the coming weeks. I won't see what's in them - but I will at least be able to find out whether or not they are keen/reluctant to provide the reference. As you say, knowledge is power. Thanks again, and I will turn to you for feedback again, if there turns out to be further problems. This is a really good service.