Organized crime

[nvrsetl]

My employer, a nation wide company, has has a clearly stated a no felony employment policy. A current employee was the wife of a kingpin in the largest prostitution ring in west coast history and she was charged with 176 counts of money laundering for Russian / Israel syndicates, pimping, real estate fraud and other issues. She recently accepted a plea down to 5 charges and is serving felony probation.
My employer is aware of her felony status and did not terminate her, however, I have seen other employees terminated for lesser issues. Would this piss you off as it is me to see her keep her job over others whom have lesser violations?

[Raza]

Not really. A 'no felony employment policy' in general would put me off, but the less it gets applied, the better.

She's not to blame for the people that did get fired; your boss is. Use the inconsistency to argue against the policy in general, if you can, but don't direct your anger at her for escaping an injustice that the rest of you still face. Direct it at the source.

[Mr Karl]

If it pisses you off, tip off your employers insurance company. that's the only thing that could make a difference if it even matters to the business. Me, I don't really bother with things like that unless I have to

[TheDeathKnight]

We discussed this before, regarding looking "freaky" in the workplace.

The bottom line legally, is that an employer can fire you for ANY reason,
as long as it's not discrimination based on gender, religion, or race. If they
don't like how you behave at work, or don't like your hobbies, or don't like
your criminal record, then they can fire you. It's their right, as the
owner of the company. They can make you wear uniforms, take
drug tests, whatever the hell they want to do...

So yes, it's not fair, but that's the owner's right. If they like one person
over another, the one they like gets the raise, and the one they dislike
will get the axe. That's just the way it works.

Either kiss ass, or get another job...

[mystoo]

Ya, I wouldn't worry too much about it until you're the one who gets fired.

[nvrsetl]

No animosity toward her and no judgment about how she lived in the past. I added her activity to legitimize this companies disregard for its own policy. Her felony status is only an issue as far as employment guidelines go as this company fell under governmental discipline years ago. It was in lieu of the investigation the felony component was added. The frustration comes from how this company writes employee guidelines and then picks and chooses who the guidelines apply to, even in the face of historic scrutiny. At the end of the day I'm not directly affected nor is my department. Part of the corporate game I suppose.

[ForrestBlack]

If I were an employer , honestly, my feelings on different crimes might color my evaluation of the employee or potential employee. In a way, it would depend on how the crimes related in subject matter to the task at hand. However, I'd imagine that writing a policy with a long list of if this then that would not only be difficult in detail, but would more than likely violate all sorts of workplace legalities. I could see coming to the conclusion that 176 counts of money laundering might not worry me in the least, for certain positions, whereas some pretty petty crimes would concern me much more easily, hypothetically speaking.

[One Eyed Cat]

I would not apply a blanket rule like that. It would really depend on the individual, the crime committed, and the time elapsed. When it comes to the "black market", I'd really need specifics.

OEC

PS: Would the facts you mention piss me off? No. I would say the employer should own up. A blanket rule opened them to such criticism. That is ultimately their call though.

[Raza]

We discussed this before, regarding looking "freaky" in the workplace.

The bottom line legally, is that an employer can fire you for ANY reason,
as long as it's not discrimination based on gender, religion, or race. If they
don't like how you behave at work, or don't like your hobbies, or don't like
your criminal record, then they can fire you. It's their right, as the
owner of the company. They can make you wear uniforms, take
drug tests, whatever the hell they want to do...

So yes, it's not fair, but that's the owner's right. If they like one person
over another, the one they like gets the raise, and the one they dislike
will get the axe. That's just the way it works.

Either kiss ass, or get another job...

There's a big difference between legal and right. I wouldn't use them interchangeably like that.