I ran into the same snag.  but in my case, since I'm retired, I have no work contact info to give them (not sure I would anyway).  My advice is to do what I've done & just forget about them, too many fish in the ocean to worry about a few individuals you might miss.  Never give up any info you're not comfortable with.  
I guess that there are enough guys who are willing to comply with their requirements that they have enough business; so it won't change until they decide their requirements are hurting their business.  As always, they do what they feel necessary for their comfort level, and we hobbyists do the same.

City Girls accepts Room Service 2000 (RS2K) as a reference.  RS2K may however require some form of employment verification.  If you join RS2K, than setup appointment through City Girls they will even credit you $50 for the application fee.  Just something to think about.