Interview Question: "Can we contact your employer?"
The very best response to this question would be, "Yes, Absolutely!"
However, if you are currently employed and the interviewer asks if they can contact your employer, it's understandable for you to decline. You can let them know, "At this time, my current employer isn't aware that I am searching for better opportunities."
Or if you left a previous position and feel unable to use your immediate boss as a reference, be sure to list someone else on your resume, that can serve as a good reference (rather than the boss you might not get a stellar review from). Perhaps a different superior, or co-worker. Depending on your industry, if there other people who can speak to your job performance, such as your clients or customers, suppliers, or other people you worked with outside of your employer, use one of those rather than your previous boss.
If you’re worried - a more preferable option when asked, “may we contact this employer,” would be to provide the basic Human Resources phone number rather than the extension of your specific supervisor.
Additional Resource: