Referring someone you know for a job at your workplace is great… until it’s someone you don’t actually want to refer.

It makes sense that many workplaces would rely on their current employees when they search for new hires. If a company is hiring people they trust and have seen success from, that will develop into trust in other departments, including in hiring other people.

This leads many companies to encourage employees to refer people they know for any job opportunity that opens up. If the company needs new accountants, before they post the job on LinkedIn, they might send current employees the job information first and ask if they know anyone who might fit the description. On the other side, if you find a job listing that interests you, the first thing you should do is see if you know anyone who already works for that company, since applying through them might increase your chances of getting the job.

The only downside to this deal is when someone you know asks you to refer them to a job in your company, but you don’t think they are a good fit. If you don’t want to work with the person, or if you are not sure of their work ethic, putting your name in their application might not be that great for you. It can paint you in a bad light in your workplace, and it can lead to you being stuck working with someone you’re not a fan of.

That is why, when the employee below was asked to refer her sister for a job in her company, she refused. The employee knew, from past experience, that her sister could not be trusted in a workplace, and she didn’t want to be held accountable for her in any shape or form. However, the sister ignored the refusal and put the employee’s name in the application anyway. So when HR called the employee to confirm the referral, the employee had to decide whether to cover for her sister or tell HR the truth and ruin her sister’s chances of getting the job…