HR letter
I was working in a multinational company in their office in a 3rd world country. This company headquarters is in USA. They have HR hotline and anyone can call and ask about information about me assuming they know my ID. This HR in USA will reveal my title and dates of employment over the phone. Now, I need HR letter to prove my experience so I need HR letter with the same information: my title and dates of employement. The office in my country was closed and moved. Everytime, I call this HR global line, asking for such letter, they refuse. My question, HR in USA made my information available to everyone in USA, shouldn’t I also be having the right to request such information in writting like in HR letter? If someone was employed by a multinational comapny but in an office in another country, doesn’t this also mean he was employed by the parent corporation. if not, why they keep my information in USA and provide it to anyone knowing my ID? Could you please help me understand my rights? what should I do?
While subsidiaries are owned by the parent company, they are technically separate legal entities. E.g. Microsoft China is a different legal company from Microsoft Corporation, USA, with their own HR departments and can even have their own respective HR policies (holiday structure, maternity leave, etc etc). Which is why you might have to reach out to the HR department for the company in your country (where you worked, or for which you need employment details from).
When i was employed there, my hr was in USA as we were few employees. Then, I left and they moved and expanded a little. If they are different, why HR USA have my data? Shouldn’t this information not be available in USA?
Does this mean, if someone worked in Microsoft China, it is illegal for him to write he was working in Microsoft.
It depends on privacy laws in your country.
But as a quick advice threaten to sue them via HR hotline and they will connect you with someone who can really fulfill your request.
That is what we'd call an option of last resort as more conservative companies will then take even longer to resolve your request and get in house counsel involved for every email and phone call.
True, but at least someone important will be involved, now he is just talking to hr call center and they are just telling him that they don’t have script for his request
I understand this is customary in other parts of the world but it's not a customary request in the United States so they may just not understand what you're asking, especially if you're calling them and asking them for "An HR Letter." What you want is for them to verify your job title and dates of employment in writing on company letterhead. This is the only information most US-based companies can disclose due to fear of litigation. Some companies can comment on your performance, but many cannot.
I don’t want any official or legal documents. As you said. I just need a letter on the company letterhead confirming my title and dates of employment when I was working for them. It’s weird they allowed me submit a patent in USA for my invention even when I was abroad. Now, they don’t even help me in such letter to prove my employment or experience
With HR it can sometimes be a matter of saying the magic word or phrase. In this case I think that would be "I have a job I am applying for that requires employment verification on company letterhead. Can you please provide this? If not, can you send it to the company directly?"
In the US it's far more common to just give them a number to call to verify employment. They probably won't give you a letter, and you probably don't need it. If someone asks for a letter, give them the # to call.
Tell them you need an Experience Letter and not an Employment Verification Letter. I had to write an experience letter for one of my former directs who left and moved overseas. Microsoft uses the Work Number Service usually to verify employment in the US, but if you need an experience letter, send an email to your last reporting manager asking for this.
Go through the process. What do you want from us?
the process? What you mean? I already tried but failed. This affects me deeply as I will lose important opportunities if couldn’t get HR letter to validate my experience.
You have no choice but to go through the process. Or contact HR and ask them the process.