Maternity/Paternity Leave
November 4th, 2021 at 12:36:03 PM permalink | |
Mission146 Administrator Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 23 Posts: 4147 |
If you play around to keep your gender and racial numbers balanced without hiring any women of child-bearing age, then not so much of a problem for the small companies. Not PC, but that's what would sometimes happen. That's why I suggested, if the Federal Government ever mandates it (bad idea anyway) that they had better mandate it for both paternity and maternity leave. Companies can obviously do what they want of their own accord, but paying one gender for missing work for several months or a year and not the other is NOT workplace equality; it's preferential treatment. If the Government is going to force such preferential treatment, then you're often going to see that preferential treatment very quietly become a deciding factor in who gets positions and who doesn't, as you mentioned, especially for small businesses. "War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen..let us give them all they want." William T. Sherman |
November 4th, 2021 at 12:37:26 PM permalink | |
gamerfreak Member since: Feb 19, 2018 Threads: 4 Posts: 527 |
Can you ask about marital and parental status in an interview in Canada? That is a huge no-no in the US. |
November 4th, 2021 at 12:40:39 PM permalink | |
Mission146 Administrator Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 23 Posts: 4147 |
It's definitely a huge no-no in the U.S., but asking questions to effectively get the answers to the questions that you can't ask is not difficult. When it comes to parents, questions such as, "What do you like to do in your free time?", or, "What are your long-term goals?", are often going to draw out responses that bring the children or spouse into the equation. There's nothing that's a no-no about them volunteering information. Of course, I'm terrible in interviews. Most of my answers are, "I do not see how that is relevant to the position," just because I don't feel like answering their stupid questions. Also, I don't think it's any of their business. If I'm scheduled, I'm there; if I'm not scheduled or called in, then I'm not there and what I am doing is none of my employer's concern. They'll also put such things as being a youth softball coach on applications, so you can kind of play the probabilities on that one. "War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen..let us give them all they want." William T. Sherman |
November 4th, 2021 at 12:45:07 PM permalink | |
AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18201 |
I think you meant to say paid by the TAXPAYERS. The President is a fink. |
November 4th, 2021 at 12:46:39 PM permalink | |
AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18201 |
Just say "tell me about yourself." Women, unless they are coached not to, will answer every illegal question straight up if you ask that. The President is a fink. |
November 4th, 2021 at 12:58:27 PM permalink | |
Mission146 Administrator Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 23 Posts: 4147 |
That probably would do it, also. I guess I should clarify that I didn't personally do these end around questions. In fact, when hiring, I probably only asked about three or four questions at all. I was mainly concerned if they looked reasonably clean (didn't care if they were dressed up, but nor did I want them showing up for an interview in sweatpants) and if they were smart enough to speak using coherent sentences and demonstrated the capacity to understand same. They also had to show up for the interview on time, of course. The call center was even less discriminatory (not meaning in the legal sense) than expecting people to be clean. Remember, it's a call center, so not only is it a revolving door...but since the call center was paid on calling hours, we just needed sufficient numbers of reps to meet our calling hours or we were leaving money on the table. I remember one guy who basically spoke no English whatsoever getting assigned to my team, I went to the recruiter and discreetly gestured at the guy and asked the recruiter, "How the f$%^ did this happen? This is a call center. I am not an English teacher, but the ability to speak English is kind of important, here." After that, I approached the training lady who was responsible for assigning people to teams and asked what I did to tick her off. She said, "Nothing, I just gave him to you because I also gave you Emily, who I think has the best potential of the group, so that was to balance it out." "War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen..let us give them all they want." William T. Sherman |
November 4th, 2021 at 1:15:54 PM permalink | |
AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18201 |
I needed a little more, and since there was heavy competition for the office jobs I needed to gauge personality. Once I had like 25 interviews in one day! Now, almost 1/3 did not last 2 minutes. I asked about three things which were in the ad. Phone work, at least one accounting course, and I think collections but forget the third. Lots of dopey young girls said "no, no, no" as I asked about each. To the door they went. I wondered if they read the ad! My last years the "situational interview" was just being a thing. "Tell me about a time you went the extra mile for a customer" kind of question. You would tell them you want a SPECIFIC example. 2/3 of people just say, "oh, all the time!" People just did not grasp what you are looking for. And that is why we have so many underemployed people. The President is a fink. |
November 4th, 2021 at 1:26:48 PM permalink | |
Mission146 Administrator Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 23 Posts: 4147 |
See, you worked for a place that specialized in taking all of my half decent sellers away from me. Oh well, I'm not the one that decided what the hourly, commissions and daily incentives are, or I would have made the last two things much better and the hourly worse. I'd make it so that top sellers could have effectively earned $18/hour (base wage assuming attendance bonus at the time was $8, mid-2000's, keep in mind and in a poor area) and the base pay would have been $6 with an attendance bonus that brings it up to $7. My questions were usually the following: 1.) How long do you see yourself working here? 2.) Why did you leave your previous job/why are you getting back into the workforce/why are you interested in switching jobs? (Situation dependent) 3.) Do you understand that this job sucks, that the pay basically sucks and that working here is not going to be much fun? I think that the, "Situational interview," is b%$^^$% and every place that didn't hire me made a mistake. My usual answer was, "I don't call off. I do my job. I go over and above. If something needs done, then I assume that I am here until that thing gets done even if my schedule says otherwise...I consider the work day over ONLY when there is nothing else that needs done. If someone calls off, then I will probably come in if I am asked. You either want to hire me, or you don't. If you don't, someone else will, so I don't really care." "War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen..let us give them all they want." William T. Sherman |
November 4th, 2021 at 1:45:42 PM permalink | |
Mission146 Administrator Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 23 Posts: 4147 | Going back several years, what the hell do they want me to say? That it's been my lifelong dream to be the Assistant Manager of a Sheetz? That I have an undying devotion to outstanding customer service? Nope. Why am I going to lie? My customer service skills are acceptable, but why they should really want me is because, under my supervision, all cleanliness and other company standards will be exceeded at all times even if I have to pull eighteens and do most of it myself. The dust and grime that had collected on the gas pumps was disgraceful, which I pointed out. Water is basically free. And then they asked how I would handle shoplifters? I asked to see the management handbook, so she asked why, and I said, "How shoplifters are dealt with is probably going to be found in the management handbook. It doesn't matter what I would do, what matters is how the handbook says to do it." I legitimately can't believe I didn't get that job. What I try to convey in live job interviews is that I'm all about work and zero about b$%^%^*. Then they asked me about what I would do if an employee approached me with a personal/home problem. I said, "I would tell the employee that anything related to them outside of Sheetz is none of my business." It's a wonder how the company is so successful. "War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen..let us give them all they want." William T. Sherman |
November 4th, 2021 at 2:52:08 PM permalink | |
AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18201 |
The situational has its place. It is good to see if people can think on their feet. What I hired for really required that. The President is a fink. |