Supervisor upset because I have another job!

Java_Wench · Jun 8, 2011

I am not a nurse yet, however I owned a business. What your supervisor has done is completely out of line and immature. People change jobs. People get second jobs. I lost and gained several employees. I would never behave in the manner that your supervisor did. Completely unprofessional.

Having said that, I would not use her as a reference. It's a shame she is being like that. However, there are laws regarding employment references. It is illegal for a former employer to purposefully give false information for the sake of harming one's reputation or preventing one from obtaining employment. In addition, personal information that is not job related should neither be asked about or provided by either a prospective or former employer. In general, it is inappropriate for a prospective employer to ask questions or a former employer to provide information about an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, disability status, marital status, sexual orientation, or parenting responsibilities. To lie or mislead a potential employer about your performance leaves the former employer open to a slander or defamation suit. So...legally she couldn't lie and say you were always late, came in to work drunk....whatever nasty thing she felt like. But still, I would definitely not use her as a reference just to keep your rear covered, because there are ways around that, like saying "no comment" if the potential employer asks if your performance was lacking. That way she's not saying it was...but by saying "no comment" she's opening up the potential employer to doubt.

So yeah...best not to use her. It's just a shame that she is so immature and unprofessional. I would say that her behavior is a sign that seeking employment elsewhere is not a bad idea at all. Good luck!

caliotter3 · Jun 8, 2011

See if you can transfer to another area so you can get a different supervisor or ask another person who is familiar with your work to act as a reference. We had three supervisors on my shift, so I could have used any, or all three, as references.

ChristaRN · Jun 8, 2011

Good point. I hadn't thought about that side of the coin; my only response to your post is that, if she was a professional, good supervisor she should have come to the OP and said something along the lines of "I recieved a phone call from xyz hospital regarding obtaining a reference for you as a potential employee. I wanted to let you know that I feel that you are a valuable employee to our company and am open to any feedback you might have as to why you felt the need to seek another position. Since you are a valuable employee, I sincerely hope that you are considering our company for continued employment once you complete your nursing program".

Just to play the contrarian, perhaps your supervisor really liked you as opposed to other student nurse assistants, was expecting to hire you, and is now bitter that you are leaving and she will be stuck with the other prospects (but that doesn't excuse unprofessional attitude she has displayed).

BABYJADE06 · Jun 8, 2011

Just to play the contrarian, perhaps your supervisor really liked you as opposed to other student nurse assistants, was expecting to hire you, and is now bitter that you are leaving and she will be stuck with the other prospects (but that doesn't excuse unprofessional attitude she has displayed).

I have asked her on several occasions about the possibility of getting a job their after I graduate and all she ever did was tell me that she doesn't know what budgeting will be like when I graduate in Dec and that there are no guarantees. I like my job but I was really trying to look out for my own best interest by finding another job

ukstudent · Jun 8, 2011

I will reiterate what a previous poster said. If she gives you a noticeably worse schedule than before, if she continues to give you a hard time, go to HR. She will continue in this unprofessional manner not just with you but all her subordinates, unless someone higher than her makes her stop. Continue to look out for yourself.

chicookie, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2011

Did you get the other job?

If that is the case then it doesn't matter since you are out of there.

If not I would be careful as she will probably be super unprofessional with you.

I know someone already said this but ALWAYS ask before you put someone as a reference even if they are your friends. ASK! Try to find a charge nurse or a nurse you trust that would be willing to be your reference from now on.

GM2RN · Jun 8, 2011

I agree that you shouldn't use her in the future, but I truly don't get why so many people that post here seem to think they should be using an employer as a "reference" at all. I would never use an employer for a reference. Prospective new employers should only be contacting your current and past employers to verify your employment with them.

References should be from individuals with whom you are friendly, have established good working relationships, and who you know that they will speak well of you. You need to get their permission ahead of time to use them as a reference, and should have them provide those references in letter form. You should also discuss with them what they will say in those letters so there will be no surprises when your prospective new employer reads them.

caliotter3 · Jun 8, 2011

Job applications that I have filled out request "employer" references, usually in addition to listing the supervisor's name.

SweetheartRN · Jun 8, 2011

Employers do this all the time. Expect you to be loyal to them and happy that you're receiving crappy pay no benefits and bait you along to keep you there and not looking for better prospects by pretending there might be a possiblity for advancement when you finish your RN program when in actuality they have no real plans of making it happen for you. She has the ability to make it happen for you if she really wanted to keep you as an employee in the future. She is just upset that you wised up ahead of time and figured out what the real deal was before you let better possibilities pass you by.

Don't be mad at her be glad that you are one smart cookie.

caliotter3 · Jun 8, 2011

Employers do this all the time. Expect you to be loyal to them and happy that you're receiving crappy pay no benefits and bait you along to keep you there and not looking for better prospects by pretending there might be a possiblity for advancement when you finish your RN program when in actuality they have no real plans of making it happen for you. She has the ability to make it happen for you if she really wanted to keep you as an employee in the future. She is just upset that you wised up ahead of time and figured out what the real deal was before you let better possibilities pass you by.
Don't be mad at her be glad that you are one smart cookie.

Could not have said it better.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jun 8, 2011

Give her some time. If they couldn't offer you any hope of getting an RN job then she is probably just frustrated.

Giver her a couple weeks to cool off then talk with her again. Explain your reasons. She is obviously a decent person because she did give you a positive review and best never to burn bridges.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2011

I have a student nurse assistant job at one facility for close to a year now and I also was recently hired as a nurse extern at another hospital. The hospital where I have my student nurse assistant job does not hire most of their students after graduation due to limited new graduate slots but the hospital where I will be working as a nurse extern has never not hired one of their externs. I got my new job a little over a month ago. Here is the problem, my new job called my student nurse assistant job for a reference and although my supervisor gave me a great reference over the phone, she recently called me into her office and told me how she could not believe I went out and applied for another job and that I should be lucky I have even been given the opportunity to work there. She also told me to never use her as a reference because of my lack of commitment to the facility. I was definitely not trying to be disloyal but I wanted to have a better chance of being hired in a facility upon graduating. The facility where I work as a student nurse assistant has only hired 8 of the 26 new graduates that graduated in May. I guess my question is should I even use this facility as a reference for future jobs or should I not? I have done a great job there and have never been late, absent or called out but Im nervous my supervisor will give me a bad reference because of what she said about no using her as a reference. When I called today about my schedul for next month she was very short with me on the phone and said she will call me at a later date to see if she could fit me in the schedule. I just dont know what to do about it. Any advice???

She told you not to use her as a reference: I would take her word on that. It's too bad she's being so petty about it because it sounds like you are simply being smart about forming connections with a facility likely to hire you.