Good luck finding a new job without a reference from your most recent employer. I suppose someone who is deceitful enough to "slip the code into production without anyone catching on" wouldn't have a problem "thinking outside the box" to get around that though, if we're going down this road we might as well go all in.

My new employer may even increase my pay even further once they realize I diddled them with my last employer's reference to mask a termination for willful misconduct.

I got as frustrated with IE6 as the next developer but this doesn't give anyone license to resort to "guerrilla methods"

> "Good luck finding a new job without a reference from your most recent employer."

In what country / region / province do you work? I understand it is actually unlawful for an employer to give or ask for references in the US, and perhaps even Europe.

In my country, it's legal and widely used, so much so the government entity that is supposed to look out for the workers provides a template for employers with suggested questions you should ask which even go as far as the person's reason given for leaving, their work performance and if you would re-hire them.

That's... oppressive. If you don't want to say the country, what continent is it?

Guess I better produce some proof before I get even more down votes... https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/766/Reference-c...

Every job I've gotten had no reference from my most recent employer. How would that work, anyway? Most people look for a new job in secret, while they still have their old one, and giving their current employer as a reference would spill the beans.