recommendation letter for former employee

[Miss Money-Penny]

I am looking for the correct wording to put in a letter of recommendation for
a former employee who's work was not up to scratch.

 

[Trefilov22]

I don't know if you can put any derogatory specifics in there. I know you
can NOT put good things in there though.

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

If you put anything negative down and that new company does not hire them
because if it, you could be sued by your former employee. Besides, why do a
letter of *recommendation* for someone whose work isn't worth recommending?

You'd better discuss this with your HR staff.

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

I am looking for the correct wording to put in a letter of
recommendation for a former employee who's work was not up to
scratch.

I was always told to give the employee's date of hire, date of
departure and job position.

............letterhead..........

Dear ???:

Mr. F. Ormer Employee worked for this company from (date) to (date) as
a putty knife burnisher.

Sincerely.. etc. etc. etc.

..............................................

That's about all you legally are allowed to say.

 

[Jim Nugent]

If you put anything negative down and that new company does not hire them
because if it, you could be sued by your former employee.

Anyone can sue anyone over anything. Whether they can *prevail* is an
entirely different matter.
Suppose the "negative things" are documented? The truth *is* a defense
against slander. However it costs money to defend against a lawsuit.

OTOH a pending lawsuit against a former employer is the kiss of death in a
hiring situation. The general rule is "Only sue your employer if you think
you can make enough money that you'll never have to work again, because you
never will.

Besides, why do a
letter of *recommendation* for someone whose work isn't worth

recommending?

It might be a case of a job candidate being required to list former bosses,
rather than someone they'd put forward as a reference.

You'd better discuss this with your HR staff.

I agree with you there!!

 

[PA.Dutchman]

I have been a professional putty knife burnisher for the last 35 years and
the seventh generation of professional putty knife burnishers. I take
exception with your statement concerning a putty knife burnishers. My
attorney will be contacting you in the morning, if I can find a correctly
worded letter here on MS. (I am kidding and only kidding, everyone at ease)

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

I have been a professional putty knife burnisher for the last 35
years and the seventh generation of professional putty knife
burnishers.

Did I perchance encounter an H. Allen Smith fan? The putty knife
burnisher idea is from his novel "Rhubarb" which is pretty funny and
reads well today, particularly if you can understand the ration stamp
references (it was written during WWII).

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

My best friend is an HP Generalist. I've learned so much from her about what
a former employer can do and can't do. I don't always agree with the laws
but they are what they are. And I've learned that interpreting those laws is
best left to the people who deal with them on a daily basis.


--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

 

[PA.Dutchman]

Rhubarb is is Yiddest for PA.Dutch, it is a way of life with us and we are
proud of it! Now doesn't that tell you something about us.

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

Hey PA Dutchman,

Where are you from? I'm in that same area! We could be neighbors.

 

[PA.Dutchman]

Dear JoAnn,

We live in Allentown PA. I always thought of Pennsylvania as a Preview of
the Promised Land.

--
Sincerely yours and many thanks,
PA.Dutchman

Hey PA Dutchman,

Where are you from? I'm in that same area! We could be neighbors.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

Heck! You aren't in PA Dutch Country - I'm closer than you are to Lancaster.
I'm just on the other side of the river. Yep - First Capital of the United
States.

(How many people are gonna say "Philadelphia?" And no, it wasn't the first.)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

Dear JoAnn,

We live in Allentown PA. I always thought of Pennsylvania as a Preview of
the Promised Land.

--
Sincerely yours and many thanks,
PA.Dutchman

Hey PA Dutchman,

Where are you from? I'm in that same area! We could be neighbors.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

Rhubarb is is Yiddest for PA.Dutch, it is a way of life with us and we
are
proud of it! Now doesn't that tell you something about us.

--
Sincerely yours and many thanks,
PA.Dutchman


:


I have been a professional putty knife burnisher for the last 35
years and the seventh generation of professional putty knife
burnishers.

Did I perchance encounter an H. Allen Smith fan? The putty knife
burnisher idea is from his novel "Rhubarb" which is pretty funny and
reads well today, particularly if you can understand the ration stamp
references (it was written during WWII).

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

Heck! You aren't in PA Dutch Country - I'm closer than you are to
Lancaster. I'm just on the other side of the river. Yep - First
Capital of the United States.

(How many people are gonna say "Philadelphia?" And no, it wasn't
the first.)

Anapolis, MD was the first Capitol, New York, NY was the second (but
was moved because people couldn't stand George Steinbrenner and hated
the NY Yankees!), Philadelphia was the third and Washington, DC became
the fourth.

Where's my prize?

 

[PA.Dutchman]

Until World War One we had 8 German Language newspapers and only 2 English
here in Allentown. Lancaster has the most Amish and a good number Mennonites
but we got our fair share of PA. Dutch or Germans. Our branch has indoor
plumbing. My fathers family settled in the Lehigh Valley in 1753 and my
mothers in 1713 both from Germany. Say now,


Sincerely yours and many thanks,
PA.Dutchman

Heck! You aren't in PA Dutch Country - I'm closer than you are to Lancaster.
I'm just on the other side of the river. Yep - First Capital of the United
States.

(How many people are gonna say "Philadelphia?" And no, it wasn't the first.)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

Dear JoAnn,

We live in Allentown PA. I always thought of Pennsylvania as a Preview of
the Promised Land.

--
Sincerely yours and many thanks,
PA.Dutchman

Hey PA Dutchman,

Where are you from? I'm in that same area! We could be neighbors.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



Rhubarb is is Yiddest for PA.Dutch, it is a way of life with us and we
are
proud of it! Now doesn't that tell you something about us.

--
Sincerely yours and many thanks,
PA.Dutchman


:


I have been a professional putty knife burnisher for the last 35
years and the seventh generation of professional putty knife
burnishers.

Did I perchance encounter an H. Allen Smith fan? The putty knife
burnisher idea is from his novel "Rhubarb" which is pretty funny and
reads well today, particularly if you can understand the ration stamp
references (it was written during WWII).

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrap! Wrong answer.

ANNAPOLIS?? Not even close.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrap! Wrong answer.

ANNAPOLIS?? Not even close.

Annapolis WAS the first capitol of the US (1783-1784), the current
capital is the fourth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

Sorry, Wikipedia has the wrong information. And you've just challenged me to
a dual. ;-)

In 1777, the Continental Congress were chased out of Philadelphia by the
British and into Lancaster. At that time Lancaster was the home of the
state's government. They figured they'd be better off on the other side of
the Susquehanna River so they met in York, PA from September 1777 to June
1778.

On November 15, 1777, the Articles of Confederation, the fore-runner of the
Constitution, were adopted. The term "United States of America" was first
used to describe the colonies in that document. Article I stated "The stile
of this confederacy shall be The United States of America."

The Declaration of Independence was signed before the Articles of
Confederation (August 2, 1776), however, it uses the lower case "united
States of America." This means Congress recognized 13 united states but no
United States of America.

The Declaration was not a binding document and created 13 independent
states. Colonies declared themselves "free and independent" states with the
right retained by each to do "all acts and things which independent states
may of right do." It took a plan of federation - the Articles of
Confederation - to bring together these newly independent colonies.

The Articles did not gain ratification until 1781, but the term
"ratification" gives approval back to the time of the original signing in
1778. For example, the treaties between France and the United States became
effective and aid became available on their adoption date, Feb. 6, 1778,
rather than their ratification date, May 4, 1778.

That is why York claims the title the first capital. The "United States of
America" did not legally exist until that document was adopted by this
provisional form of government. While in York, the Continental Congress also
proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving and signed the French
Treaty of Alliance.

There will always be two (or more) sides to this story but, having been born
and raised here, I'm sticking to my guns.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

That is why York claims the title the first capital. The "United
States of America" did not legally exist until that document was
adopted by this provisional form of government.

The United States of America did not legally exist until the signing of
the treaty of Paris, September 3rd, 1783 when Ol' Geo III said:

======================================================================

Article 1:
---------------------------------------------------------------------

His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States,
viz., New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free
sovereign and independent states, that he treats with them as such, and
for himself, his heirs, and successors, relinquishes all claims to the
government, propriety, and territorial rights of the same and every
part thereof.

===================================================================

Prior to that date we were the United States of America only because we
said so, very few other countries agreed, many recognized England's
claims on us as colonies.

From that day on we were recognized as the United States of America
legally and by all nations.

And at that time, the temporary capitol was in Annapolis.

There will always be two (or more) sides to this story but, having
been born and raised here, I'm sticking to my guns.

There are several hundred sides to the story all hinging on when the
United States actually came into being.

I'm figuring from the time the country legally existed rather than from
the time we made a claim not recognized by others... as long as England
claimed sovereignty our claim was only a claim and a contested one at
that.

 

[JoAnn Paules [MSFT MVP]]

See - more than one side. You'll find it tough, if not impossible, to change
a Yorker's mind tho.

(And just so you know, the common thought about why the Continental Congress
left York when they did was because they'd drained our meager coffers and
complained about the conditions. At the time when they met here York had
about 1800 residents and less than 260 homes. It was a tight Germanic
community. My husband says it's because they drank all of our booze and we
didn't have enough slatterns.

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

 

[David R. Norton MVP]

(And just so you know, the common thought about why the
Continental Congress left York when they did was because they'd
drained our meager coffers and complained about the conditions. At
the time when they met here York had about 1800 residents and less
than 260 homes. It was a tight Germanic community. My husband says
it's because they drank all of our booze and we didn't have enough
slatterns.

You could be right on that one, some of those guys were pretty rowdy!

Think we've gone far enough off topic? See ya in the coffeehouse.