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Almost.
At one point in my career I came to loggerheads with a manager, who was playing the office politics power game.
Anyway, he basically managed to corner me into making a stupid move, that I didn't see coming, and that was going to get me brought up in front of a disciplinary committee, which by his own words "He was going to make sure ruled in his favor".
Long story short, he rumbled his own attempt, when earlier in the day before the hearing was to take place, he pulled me to one side when we passed out in the corridor, and with derision and a sneer, politely informed me that after the hearing that afternoon, he was not only going to make sure I had no job left, but also make sure that all other I.T companies in the area, and recruitment firms would see what a bad employee I was, and would freely circulate a bad character reference among those that asked about me.
Realizing what was at stake, and still having a few hours of time left, I put together a quick bailout plan.
I was coming down with the beginnings of a cold that day, so I wrote a letter of resignation, in the letter I cited my reasons for resigning based on health issues, and then sniffling slightly, and looking generally unwell I marched upstairs to the 3rd floor and handed my resignation, directly to my managers boss, who was genuinely shocked that I was leaving, we had a cup of coffee and a quick chat, and he handed my letter to the HR person who started to process it right their and then, and I got confirmation that the company would give me a good clean record and references based on the work I had done.
I went back down to my office, and was saying my goodbyes to my collegues etc, when my manager stormed in yelling & screaming, and spitting fire.... tore a strip off me in front of my team mates. He was very angry and red in the face, beacuse he knew there was bugger all he could do at that point, and as I left the building he followed me out still trying to berate me, but I just let it wash over me.
His political game had been going on for months, and at that point in time I felt like a great weight had been lifted off of me, so I let him do what he had to do and kept walking.
As a last ditch attempt he screamed at building security to stop and search me, and detain me to make sure I didn't have anything I shouldn't have, so I walked up to the security desk calmly opened my bag let them look inside, got the nod picked my bag up and just kept walking.
Even outside, he stood at the door shouting at me, words tot he effect he'd make sure I never worked in I.T again.
I later found out from some of my colleagues who left not long after I, that he'd been doing similar things to them, the only ones who didn't get this treatment where those who 100% aligned themselves with his politics, many of my ex colleagues I spoke to after that, said until the point I did what I did, they didn't realize they had a way out, and where actually in similar situations, IE: having potential dismissals hanging over them.
Within about 3 months of me leaving, half of the development team resigned, and the manager was given a managerial role elsewhere in the company, with the new dev manager, moved up from those actually left on the dev team. I hear now, that it's one of the best places in the area to work, and I still occasionally keep in touch with some of the folks who still work their.
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Oooh, you'll have to message me with who that company is.
This space for rent
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Think, bingo on the river wear
You'll figure it out...
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Ahhhh. Gotcha. There's another CPist works there if my memory serves me well.
This space for rent
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Possibly.
I still see the odd one or two when I do UG talks around the area.
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You and I really need to get a Lidnug talk sorted. Once I'm finished the current stuff I'm writing for Pluralsight, we'll have to schedule a session.
This space for rent
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Absolutely dude.
I'm through at Leeds on Tuesday doing my Typescript session for the Hainton .NET UG, and in sept I'm up for Chris and his SQL-NE group through the town, doing a CI/CD SQL focused talk for them.
You'll have to let me have a little preview of your PS stuff I'm also working on some new stuff for them at the mo.
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They tried over a year to motivate me into leaving on my own, but once I noticed what was going on, I worked just barely enough to not give them any real reason to fire me. That went on for over a year, my way of saying thanks for that kind of treatment.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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Yes. We had one interviewee who looked damn good, gave him the job, then found out he not only couldn't do it, but had a criminal record - several years inside for fraud and embezzlement - that he somehow hadn't mentioned. Bye!
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: he not only couldn't do Add impostor to that list.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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OriginalGriff wrote: that he somehow hadn't mentioned. Bye!
that your company somehow didn't catch prior to hiring.
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Can happen in small companies.
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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In the UK you can't request a criminal record check unless the role directly requires one - working with children or the vulnerable for example. Then you get them to fill out a form and you apply for a Criminal Records Bureau check which normally takes a couple of months and doesn't give you full details, just a "yes / no" on relevant convictions.
In this case, it was before the CRB check system came into being, and there was no way for a company to legally check the records at all!
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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In the States most responsible employers do this as part of your pre-hiring process, including drug testing, etc. I know most Government and State positions required it.
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Ah, but in the UK we have a lot lof legal protection for criminals.
Probably because we elect them to Parliament.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I'm a government employee in Ohio but I have never had a drug test. We do have to take a polygraph and an extensive background check is performed not only across the US, but all of NA and Interpol. Now if someone commits a serious misdemeanor, such as a drunk driving, during the past 7 years they won't get a job. If they commit it on the job, they might be fired for it.
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A polygraph.
That just blew my mind.
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KBZX5000 wrote: A polygraph.
That just blew my mind Maybe they set the voltage too high
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Best way to screw up a Polygraph...
Get yourself worked up about it, the body's "worring response" will cause all the signs that the testers are looking for, such as elevated heart beat, sweaty palms, pupil dilation and so on.
Make sure you answer every question truthfully.
The result of the test will be your a 100% liar, but then when they actually double check the facts, they will find that your 100% truthful, and will then start to doubt the validity of the polygraph.
and yes it does work
and no... don't ask
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Quote: and no... don't ask
So I just had to ask, what is it you did that demanded a polygraph?
And do you know if the polygraph ever gets it right?
Quote: elevated heart beat, sweaty palms, pupil dilation and so on
I mean every person innocent or not would be feeling all of the above if hooked up to the polygraph! Exception Hannibal Lecter.
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Your correct that yes, everyone to some degree will have elevated heart rate etc when faced with a polygraph, but in most cases those doing the testing know this so the machines are calibrated to take it into account.
However if you push yourself to be worried more, and really get yourself worked up about things, those measurements will be higher than what's accounted for, and so will throw the measurements being taken into the grey area where it's quite difficult for them to say yes or no, esp if those measurements are the same when your base reading is taken.
The base reading, is the first few questions, eg: name, age, general stuff, which they use to set the "truth level" of the device, and also as part of the calibration for when they start asking q's where you may lie.
as for the what did I do? Well, my father used to be a police officer, I didn't do anything, but as a prank one year, he faked getting me arrested by some of his officer friends.
I learned a lot of tricks about things that law enforcement use, and on top of that, I also learned a number of similar tricks (and saw some first hand examples) years later when I served with the UK's armed forces.
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Can confirm. Some government positions also include an extremely invasive questionnaire. One question even asked me to list names, locations, times, and substances for every instance of drug use I had witnessed over the past 10 years on condition it would not be used against any mentioned peoples for prosecution. It's basically a "tell us all your secrets" form followed by a polygraph to make sure those are all your secrets.
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OriginalGriff wrote: In the UK you can't request a criminal record check unless the role directly requires one
No longer the case I'm afraid- since it was oursourced to private companies rather than the CRB, any Tom, Dick and indeed Harry can run a check. The other trick is to leverage the concept of an enforced subject and make the job offer conditional on agreeing to fill in the form requesting disclosure.....
OriginalGriff wrote: which normally takes a couple of months and doesn't give you full details, just a "yes / no" on relevant convictions.
Or a couple of days, depending on who you use
OriginalGriff wrote: doesn't give you full details, just a "yes / no" on relevant convictions.
Again, not quite - it will give details of any unspent convictions, or all convictions in the case of enhanced disclosures (think in terms of working with vulnerable people, kids etc).
I personally think that it SHOULD be restricted in the way you outlined - but then companies would find ways around it - a wise man once told me "there's what's legal, and then there's what you can get away with" - for instance a "friend" was asked do you have any spent or unspent convictions (which you're not supposed to ask - that's the point of spent convictions!), and when he answered honestly (not realising that in that case you're permitted to "present yourself as someone without convictions", the company suddenly decided that the job for which he was applying didn't exist.....which is rather naughty.
C# has already designed away most of the tedium of C++.
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OriginalGriff wrote: - several years inside for fraud and embezzlement -
Aw Griff... you promised me you wouldn't tell anyone!
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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I worked at a bank many years ago where an entire dev. team was let go in the week between Christmas and New year. They were all contractors so they were told by their agents.
Keep your friends close. Keep Kill your enemies closer.
The End
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