I’m actually going to try to answer these questions BG asked, not that it’s relevant to this discussion.
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1. Do you routinely “day trade” during NYSE trading hours (6:00 am to 1:00 pm PST)? Do you day-trade in foreign markets between 1:00 and 5:00 pm?
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Yes I do, but then again you’ll see me up at
9:30pm, 10:30pm, 12am, sometimes 4am..
Why? Because I’ll talking to folks in our Bangalore office, or our build is stuck, or something broke that needs to get before the next morning. Or we’re having a conference call with our dual development team.
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2. If you came back to your workstation a little late from lunch hour because perhaps you got stuck in traffic (as little as 6 mins or 1/10 of an hour), will you be docked vacation pay for it?
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No, but even if I’m officially OOO from the office for a day, or in the hospital getting treated, my company cell phone rings, there is an expectation that I pick it up and answer the questions at hand…And no, I’m in product development, not customer service/customer support which probably has much worse hours than me…
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3. If you decided to lay down in the restroom or in your vehicle during a 15 min break because you had a headache and came back 15-30 mins late, would you be docked vacation or sick pay for it?
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You still get to accrue vacation? Really??? You’re kidding right?
No, my company stopped giving us paid vacation days. In fact ,we can’t accrue anymore., The policy is that if you want to take PTO you just ask your manager/director, and as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work schedule, you can take up two two weeks vacation each time you ask.
If you need to take longer, you need to get a senior VP approval… In theory this means you take unlimited vacation. In practice, it’s subject to work schedule permitting. So if you happen to have a manager that doesn’t like you, you potentially can get screwed. If your work schedule doesn’t permit you to take vacation (which is most likely the case) that year, too damn bad, you lose your vacation. It doesn’t carry over till next year….
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4. If you were arrested for a DUI or other misdemeanor, would your employer get word of it before you even came back to work the next day and take disciplinary action against you, up to and including termination, pending outcome of your case. Would they send one of their “lackeys” to court to watch the resolution of your case?
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No, my company probablly would just terminate me, no questions asked. Since there was this document called “at-will employment” that you signed prior to joining saying you can be terminated for any reason at any time…
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5. Have you ever been sent home from work to change clothes and docked vacation pay for the time away from work because your supervisor/mgr did not feel what you wore to work was “appropriate?”
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No, sorry you got me on this one. On the other hand, there’s been time I wish I could have gone home to take a shower instead of camp in my office all night
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6. Do you blog, shop online and surf the internet during the business day?
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yes, so do you.. But besides that, do you ever take any of your work home after 8-5 and actually try to get something done in the middle of the night ,without getting any sort of financial compensation?
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7. Do you have a keylogger installed on your workstation?
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No, but we have filters/etc that monitors internet usage…What’s you’re point here?
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8. Do you have a keystroke counter installed on your workstation? Do you have to tally your work up at the end of each workday, much like showing “billable hours?”
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No, I get paid a flat rate, based on whether a project/component gets done. Often that means if the component/project is behind schedule, even if it’s not due to me, I’m still on the hook for making up the different on the weekends and extended hours…
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9. If you have to go to the restroom while at work, do you have to let a coworker know and hang a sign in your workstation showing what time you’ll be back? Has your supervisor ever came in or sent someone into the restroom to find out why you’re taking so long?
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No, I’m sorry, I don’t have a boss that follows me to the bathroom.
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10. Did your employer run your credit report as a condition of employment?
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Absolutely. Everytime time. Especially if you work in a data center and are handling sensitive customer data…
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11. Did your employer contact as many of your relatives as they could dig up out of the “archives” prior to hire to see what they would say about you?
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No, but it wouldn’t matter, because unless you have something to hide, what’s the big deal… (Yes, if you’re talking about a security clearance that I once was going to apply for)…
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12. Did your employer send an investigator out to talk to your neighbors prior to deciding to hire you?
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No, but it wouldn’t matter, because unless you have something to hide, what’s the big deal… (Yes, if you’re talking about a security clearance that I once was going to apply for)…
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13. Did your employer run a FBI/CII (now CA DOJ) background check on you and members of your immediate family prior to deciding to hire you?
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No, but it wouldn’t matter, because unless you have something to hide, what’s the big deal… (Yes, if you’re talking about a security clearance that I once was going to apply for)…
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14. Did you have to sign an open-ended “release” allowing your employer to perform all of the above “checks” on you prior to hire? Did the release you sign give them the right to keep running these checks throughout your employment? Was the signing of this release a condition of employment?
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No, but again, what do you have to hide from?
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15. Does your employer have the right at any time during your employment to demand a “fitness for duty” examination by their doctor in the absence of your filing worker’s comp claim?
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Yes… That’s standard…
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16. Were you ever formally disciplined because you called in sick 15 minutes after your “start time” elapsed?
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No, because it’s pretty shitty that if you are planning to take PTO you don’t tell your supervisor in advance…unless it’s an emergency beyond your control..
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17. Were you ever formally disciplined because you tried to “sneak out” of work prior to the “closing bell” at 5:00 pm?
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No, because if I was paid hourly and was expected to work 8-5, I wouldn’t be leaving early and still trying to be bill out the full hour, even if I had nothing to do. That would be unethical..
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18. Have you ever asked your employer if you could telecommute 1-2 days per week and were told to “pack sand?”
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No, because telecommute is a privilege not a right. And it’s always at the discretion of the employer. Sometimes, some jobs you just can’t do at home…
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19. If you are an “hourly” non-exempt employee, have you been denied overtime pay for working late to complete a particular job?
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No, because our employers found it was cheaper just to make us exempt and give us unrealistic deadlines anyway. Then we can’t complain about not getting overtime pay…
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20. If you work in downtown SD, is parking provided to you free of charge by your employer?
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No, but I don’t know of many employers in the city that would offer free parking…At least that’s how it was when I worked in SF.
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21. Are you allowed to talk on your cell phone, text and go online on your mobile device during working hours?
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Yes, but I think so can you… If you work at a private defense company, no you can’t… Your point?
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22. If you have a “side gig” or moonlight, do you need to disclose all the “who, what, when, where and why” about it on a form to your employer (so you can be “monitored” for potential conflicts of interest), lest they find out from another employee (or overhear you talk about it on your lunch hour) and take disciplinary action against you for NOT disclosing it?
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Uh, you’re serious about this? Absolutely yes. It’s called conflict of interest….And it’s a standard employment practice… Heck, probably more so in the private sector because there are things things called anti-compete clause.
Let me ask you a question…Have you ever had to sign a legal document that says no matter why you get terminated (whether it’s voluntary or not), you cannot go seek employment at a “competitor” or work on competing product Y at anothe company for 2 years, for potentially face XYZ lawsuits? (even though it’s arguable whether it’s enforceable in CA)…
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23. Have you ever lunched with or hired for labor on your property an ex-con and feared your employer would find out about it and discipline you? Do you actually even run background checks on workers who come on to your property??
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Whoa… You know people that might be an ex-con… Sounds like a personal problem…
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24. Are you required to submit to a periodic urinalysis by your employer’s medical contractor as a condition of continuing employment?
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You mean drug screening? Yes, at some point.
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25. If arrested for a felony and bailed out of jail, will your employer immediately put you on an unpaid “furlough” pending outcome of your case?
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“Furlonged???? You’re kidding right? Furlonged.?..I’d be fired, regardless of what the result of the case was!!!”
L@rd . . . I can go on …. and on …. and on. Suffice to say I have represented many non-managerial employees in the past on grievances, ULPs and discipline taken against them on the above “transgressions.”
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