I Didn't Get Old Being Stupid-Wisdom From Our Elders

A WORKING FAITH

Patricia Taylor

Early in the 1980's, I was working in a supervisory position for state government. The accounting office was growing, and a new position was established for an accountant. The responsibility for interviewing applicants fell on me.

By the time the interviewing was done, three individuals I knew well had applied for the position, in addition to four others. After much consideration and prayer, a decision was made. A telephone call went out to the successful applicant, offering the job, and rejection letters were mailed to the other candidates. I wrote notes of encouragement on the bottom of each letter addressed to the individuals I knew, none of whom had won the job.

Two days after the letters were sent, an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) representative delivered a grievance addressed to me with a charge of religious discrimination. The complaint was filed by one of the individuals I knew. The interviewee stated that all the employees in the accounting office were members of the First Baptist Church, and claimed that she had been discriminated against for being Catholic.

Several hours later, the EEO representative returned with a second grievance addressed to me. This time the complaint was discrimination based on sexual orientation. I couldn't believe it. I was so naive back then, I didn't even know what sexual orientation was! And now another individual I knew had cited me for doing it.

The Business Manager tried to encourage me, "If you made the right choice, and were thorough in your documentation, then you have nothing to worry about."

Well, the day was not over yet. About 4:45 pm, the same EEO representative was back in the office. He said, "Mrs. Taylor, I have one more grievance for you." The charge this time: age discrimination. The accuser was 52 years old, and stated that all the employees in the accounting office were young.

I totally lost it. I was a nervous wreck. I had never seen an EEO grievance before today and now I was holding three in my hand, not knowing what to do about them.

Several days later a questionnaire arrived from the local EEO Office asking for the following information:

1. A list of each employee in the accounting office, organized by name, sex, age, race, and religious preference.

2. A paragraph from each employee describing his or her responsibility in the accounting office.

3. Copies of all the applications, interview questions, reference checks, the scoring system used to determine the best applicant for the position, plus any and all documentation to the EEO Office.

I compiled the information and sent it to the EEO representative the same day. In doing so, I learned some detailed, personal information about my fellow employees that I never knew.

Everyone in the office had a different religious preference, and only one was a Baptist. The age range was twenty-one to fifty-six, two males and five females, four whites and three blacks. The individual chosen to fill the new position was a white female, age fifty-five.

All the charges were dismissed, and in the end I learned the value of a few simple virtues that can free you from a whole lot of worry. Be a person of integrity — true to yourself and fair in all your
dealings. Keep copies of everything, and document conversations, reasons, and actions. The written word is frequently evidence enough that something transpired as described. And oddly enough, the converse is often considered true as well. If it wasn't written down, it never happened!


SAMPLE STORY 2 Practical wisdom is often the hardest won. Fortunately for this writer, a history of good habits paid off in a surprising lesson about the value of honesty, integrity and plain old recordkeeping. A WORKING FAITH Patricia Taylor Early in the 1980's, I was working in a supervisory position for state government. The accounting office was growing, and a new position was established for an accountant. The responsibility for interviewing applicants fell on me. By the time the interviewing was done, three individuals I knew well had applied for the position, in addition to four others. After much consideration and prayer, a decision was made. A telephone call went out to the successful applicant, offering the job, and rejection letters were mailed to the other candidates. I wrote notes of encouragement on the bottom of each letter addressed to the individuals I knew, none of whom had won the job. Two days after the letters were sent, an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) representative delivered a grievance addressed to me with a charge of religious discrimination. The complaint was filed by one of the individuals I knew. The interviewee stated that all the employees in the accounting office were members of the First Baptist Church, and claimed that she had been discriminated against for being Catholic. Several hours later, the EEO representative returned with a second grievance addressed to me. This time the complaint was discrimination based on sexual orientation. I couldn't believe it. I was so naive back then, I didn't even know what sexual orientation was! And now another individual I knew had cited me for doing it. The Business Manager tried to encourage me, "If you made the right choice, and were thorough in your documentation, then you have nothing to worry about." Well, the day was not over yet. About 4:45 pm, the same EEO representative was back in the office. He said, "Mrs. Taylor, I have one more grievance for you." The charge this time: age discrimination. The accuser was 52 years old, and stated that all the employees in the accounting office were young. I totally lost it. I was a nervous wreck. I had never seen an EEO grievance before today and now I was holding three in my hand, not knowing what to do about them. Several days later a questionnaire arrived from the local EEO Office asking for the following information: 1. A list of each employee in the accounting office, organized by name, sex, age, race, and religious preference. 2. A paragraph from each employee describing his or her responsibility in the accounting office. 3. Copies of all the applications, interview questions, reference checks, the scoring system used to determine the best applicant for the position, plus any and all documentation to the EEO Office. I compiled the information and sent it to the EEO representative the same day. In doing so, I learned some detailed, personal information about my fellow employees that I never knew. Everyone in the office had a different religious preference, and only one was a Baptist. The age range was twenty-one to fifty-six, two males and five females, four whites and three blacks. The individual chosen to fill the new position was a white female, age fifty-five. All the charges were dismissed, and in the end I learned the value of a few simple virtues that can free you from a whole lot of worry. Be a person of integrity — true to yourself and fair in all your dealings. Keep copies of everything, and document conversations, reasons, and actions. The written word is frequently evidence enough that something transpired as described. And oddly enough, the converse is often considered true as well. If it wasn't written down, it never happened!
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