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What Do You Think Ladies?

Discussion in 'Friends & Neighbours' started by SGBV, May 18, 2022.

  1. SGBV

    SGBV IL Hall of Fame

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    As many of you know that i am on medical leave these days. Recovering after a major surgery & the recovery is smooth. Thank God!

    A week after the surgery, I've started being in touch with my team at work & giving instructions as necessary/as much as i can. Eventhough i am not expected to do anything, it is something i like to do, and get involved.

    While working on line, my colleague broke out a news that, our team will receive a senior staff - who has hearing impairment.
    It was a managerial decision & the staff were little upset as to the quality of support we may get down the line.
    But, i advised them not to worry, and appreciated the fact that we have an inclusive team.

    We talked about the ways in which we could interact with the incoming person and our previous experiences with such staff in the past.

    After knowing that, the staff is from X country, i decided to contact 2 of my ex colleagues from the same country, who might have worked with her in the past to inquire about her.

    Colleague A responded instantly & shared her very positive experience with that senior staff.

    Colleague B wasn't online in WhatsApp. So i also left a message in IG as well. Just a basic message whether 'she knows staff A from country X as she is joining our crew soon.'

    To which, Colleague B responded rudely.
    First, she sarcastically asked is my inquiry very important, bcz i approached her via WhatsApp & IG for the same.

    Come on... When ever i dont find a person in WhatsApp, i look for them in FB or IG. It doesnt mean my decision to contact them was urgent or important. But i really looked for them.

    Then when i casually asked about staff A, she replied you should be told by the office not to discuss anything about staff outside office.

    Seriously? Am i gossiping? Nope...
    I just asked out of curiosity & to prepare my team to cope with a senior staff with hearing impairment.
    My language was very decent too.
    And i didn't blaber with others, but just picked an ex colleague who earlier worked with the same person.

    It wouldn't hurt to share your experience or just end the discussion with a plain ' 'yes' or 'ok' message if you feel it unnecessary. But she was rude!

    What do you think ladies?
     
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  2. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    It depends on the country, the culture and the workplace protocols.

    Where I live, we would absolutely not informally discuss a delicate issue like a new hire who has a hearing impairment. Or any new hire for that matter. I would not discuss it with my colleagues or with the new hire's possible past colleagues. If word got around about my research on the new hire or that we discussed about the quality of support we may receive from the hearing impaired new hire, we would most probably get a serious talking to from HR.

    Any such discussions better happen only with close friends/colleagues and with the "disappearing messages" set to the shortest possible time period.

    Any official or required discussion of the potential new hire's abilities is limited to when the group meets to discuss all the candidates and whom to make the offer to. Even then, the reason for rejecting a candidate or ranking them lower has to be carefully phrased.

    Such are the times we live in. An innocent comment about a new hire can get misconstrued and quoted down the line. An observation like, "it is so darned hard to find women candidates for this job and we have to meet the diversity quota" made in a casual setting like a walk after lunch or going up the elevator can cause big trouble for the one who made the comment. An employee who overhears can claim they find the workplace to be a hostile environment.

    Maybe such background research is OK before the person is hired. However, when dealing with any minority person such as the differently abled, it is better to err on the side of caution.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2022
  3. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    I agree with Rihana. Your colleague need not have been rude but she was prudent not to discuss any details and she also must not have wanted to put anything in writing. Once it’s out on messaging apps it’s there forever. These days people will not even give an honest job reference many times because they are afraid they will be sued if the candidate doesn’t get the job.
    If you have concerns about how to integrate the new colleague into the workplace and deal with the accommodations then it’s best to discuss with your HR.
     
    Mistt, Ruby2019, SGBV and 2 others like this.
  4. lakshmi888

    lakshmi888 Silver IL'ite

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    In lots of western countries, any background check even a query like how this person is to work with by a person via data from social media records can be liable for lawsuit against a person or a company rep asking that query ..

    if the job seeker or new joinee reports about someone querying their social contacts to HR, then the person asking that query in 99 percent of the cases will be asked to resign immediately because company will not take a chance on lawsuit because of 1 person querying someone’s social media or social contacts !!!

    Most background check companies directly check court records for any criminal record after getting CONSENT ( consent is marked in capitals ) from the job seeker and social media which is he said she said is not considered at all and any info from social media if used for making hiring decision can be used to file lawsuit by the job seeker !!

    always be mindful of the laws in any country one works in to be always legally correct …

    in most western countries, people can go bankrupt if a lawsuit is filed against them as a lawsuit can be filed for a persons ENTIRE net worth and attorneys are very very expensive for fighting lawsuits !!
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2022
    pocahontas, Mistt and chanchitra like this.
  5. ashima10

    ashima10 Platinum IL'ite

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    Were u asked by your HR team to do BG check? Also if there was negative feedback what could have been done about it by you?

    gossiping is a very grey area!
     
  6. AppuMom

    AppuMom Gold IL'ite

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    In my line of work such enquiries considered unprofessional and not taken lightly if it involves social media too...any BGC or reference check is done thr third party vendor so we get unbiased and clear opinions and only HR can control such info.your colleague is not rude ,but she is cautious.
     
    lakshmi888 likes this.
  7. SGBV

    SGBV IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks a lot for all of your opinions ladies.

    First of all, it wasn't a professional level background check for recruitment. I am no one to do that.
    I am sure the office would have done that through a 3rd party & HR is in control of that.
    Secondly, the staff has been already hired. She is actually coming here on transfer from another office (from another country). Just that, the decision was published yesterday.

    Since i had already worked in her previous duty station and had a few common colleagues, i just casually inquired about her.

    In our organization, staff keep on rotating to different countries, and it is not uncommon to inquire with former colleagues about the incoming staff in case if they worked together in the past.

    Almost all my colleagues knew my history before i joined this new office late last year.
    Bcz their former colleagues/friends worked with me in different countries in the past. So it is obvious.
    Since i am going to be her manager, i felt it is crucial to be prepared & arrange for necessary stuff to welcome the new staff.
     
    Rihana likes this.
  8. Rihana

    Rihana Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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  9. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Maybe you can contact her directly. Send her an email welcoming her to the role. Maybe send a brief about yourself and ask her what you can do to ensure her smooth transition into the position since you aren’t physically there. Don’t bring up her disability.

    Rules about work place conduct are changing and it’s better to be safe. As a diversity candidate, you are going to be under the microscope constantly. Best to err on the side of caution.
     
    Mistt, SGBV, Amica and 2 others like this.
  10. mangaii

    mangaii Finest Post Winner

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    Maybe it is just me but sending a msg in whatsapp and then follow up message in IG is wrong
    I would be mad if someone will contact me in my IG space to ask about work

    If I see my work email in my IG I will respond in similar way.
     

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