Nearly
three quarters of city employees believe employment references are influenced
by personality and culture clashes, research finds.
A
survey of 680 city workers in London and Dublin also finds that while 65 per
cent of city workers think references play a major role in hiring decisions, 60
per cent believe references are just a ‘rubber stamp’ to hiring decisions.
According
to the CitiPeople Index from global recruitment specialist Morgan McKinley, two
thirds of employees believe references given over the phone have more value
than written references.
More
than 90 per cent claim they would never provide inaccurate information in
response to a reference check. The 2 per cent who admitted providing inaccurate
information in the past said the inaccuracies referred to levels of experience
and reasons for leaving a job.
Nearly
60 per cent believe that drug testing prior to being offered a position should
be part of the reference process.
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David
Twiddle, managing director of Morgan McKinley, said: “The fact that so many
city employees feels that references are influenced by personality and culture
clashes and just rubber stamp a hiring decision highlights the lack of
appreciation some city workers have about the true value of references.”
By
Lisa Bratby
