Pre-Employment screening: Checking with previous employers! Good or bad? (employee, employer, job)

[gizmobizmo]

Looking at a couple employment posts over the last couple days reminded me of several instances at a previous employer a few years back.

Previous employees always listed the office number where I and several others worked, instead of the HR department and we would get calls from time to time. I always forwarded the calls to HR but several times, a co-worker took those calls herself and said some questionable things about the previous employee.

This co-worker gave mostly accurate information regarding the former employees work history but, it was peppered with her own opinions of that person. She made comments regarding their absenteeism, relationships with others at the company, work ethic, etc.....

I think most of us KNOW we are not to give information out like that and to refer people to HR, who will simply verify employment dates. I was concerned that my co-worker may have cost those folks a job with her little commentary about them. I did suggest to her that she should forward those calls to the appropriate person, yet she didn't follow the advice.
I suspect this sort of thing happens more often than we think.

1. Have you ever lost out on a job because the prospective
employer spoke with the wrong person at your previous
employer.
(i.e. A co-worker instead of HR or your direct supervisor.)

2. Have you ever witnessed someone at your job taking calls
regarding a former employee that they should not have taken
but forwarded to HR?

[New_Horizon]

It has just happened to me, luckily we found out before any more harm could be done. A friend of mine called the store and made an inquiry about me she was passed to someone in my department who told her that i never turn up and that i was usually rude to her when i did ... this was a few days after i had quit the job so i dont know if she knew i was gone for good but lucky we caught it as we were able to call the store and request that in future only the HR was to answer inquiries about me.