Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by gambiting 53 days ago
In my experience at other companies recruiters and pretty much no one else has any idea that someone has been blacklisted, until you do all of your interviews and tell HR to hire that person and that's when they tell you the person is on some kind of shit list and we can't hire them. That was an awkward conversation with someone who was basically told we'll be making an offer soon.
2 comments
mancerayder 53 days ago
What is the blacklist and is it company-specific?

I'd be more concerned about industry-wide blacklisting.

link
gambiting 53 days ago
No it was company specific. Basically that person used to work for our company, years prior, in a different office in a different country.

But I also had a different situation where we also decided to hire someone, only to find out that we can't because he's been let go from another company owned by our parent company, and his severance agreement said he can't work for the same group of companies for 12 months. I think he was genuinely unaware that we're part of the same group(if was a huge corporation) and it just never came up in any conversation until HR tried to put together paperwork for him.

link
balamatom 53 days ago
Huh. What do you reckon would have happened if you'd hired them anyway?
link
computably 53 days ago
What? Hiring is a contract between employer (company entity) and employee. No individual "you" can hire anybody except through the company's official process. If HR says "no we won't extend an offer," a lowly HM extending an offer would be clear-cut fraud.
link
jjmarr 53 days ago
Managers usually have the authority to bind the company to an employment contract. Even if they don't, the rule of "apparent authority" often means the employee can still sue.

In the USA this is mostly theoretical since HR could immediately fire the employee due to at-will employment.

But in Canada, it's a much bigger issue due to labour protections.

e.g. Many managers at American multinationals gave assurances over email to employees about work-from-home arrangements. Then the company does a huge RTO push.

When the employee refuses, HR discovers they can't fire the employee without a hefty buyout.

Best not to give assurances if you're managing a multinational team.

link
gambiting 53 days ago
>>Managers usually have the authority to bind the company to an employment contract

Is that an American thing? I've been a manager for years and never heard of that happening. I didn't even know how much the people I managed were paid.

link
jjmarr 53 days ago
I believe it happens more often in Canada. Here's a case where the RTO ultimatum was ruled constructive dismissal, because the manager made a verbal agreement to amend the terms of employment.

https://mathewsdinsdale.com/employers-advisor-march-2025/#:~...

link
balamatom 52 days ago
I meant what would have happened - and to whom - if HR had greenlighted the offer, but others' posts pretty much clarified that for me, thanks.
link