Would you get an RFID chip implanted in your arm so you
could access the company data center? Would you take a test that asks
deeply personal questions with no perception of anonymity? Would you
take a lie detector test? How about a drug test? If any of these scenarios
sound frightening to you, you should start thinking about your response
now, because everyone will be facing these decisions sooner than we
might like. Is any job worth sacrificing your privacy?
In an odd moment of synchronicity I came across mentions of two of these
issues this week and it reminded me of my own brushes with controversial
techniques to try and divine who is a good employee. After a humiliating
experience with a lie detector test when I applied for my first job,
I will never take another lie detector test again. I have been exposed
to company surveys where the proctor made obvious attempts to skew the
results. I have taken the Meyers-Briggs Personality Profile Test. Still,
more and more companies are trying to find the “magic bullet”
that will solve all their employee problems and you will be faced with
ever more intrusive methods.
Just say no!
So, how do you protect yourself against invasive tactics such as these?
First, learn to say “No,” quickly and assuredly. You may
decide later that the results will be protected or anonymized properly
and change your mind, but your first response at any sign of concern
should always be “No.” If you are feeling uncomfortable,
this is a sign to beware. It is also a sign that others around are probably
also uncomfortable. In some cases, you might not have enough information
about the test or survey. In others, the questions being asked might
seem too personal or outside the bounds of what any company should need
to know.
There are good reasons for saying “No.” Once you have completed
a test or survey, it is too late to withdraw that information. Regardless
of whether you contest the results or the entire testing program later,
you have offered up information that can never be regained. By refusing
to take the test, you are protecting yourself in many different ways.
How are they being used?
In the case of one company, managers were “asked” to take
the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Test. This test is usually
given to people to detect mental illnesses and direct their treatment.
It asks extremely personal questions about all aspects of a person’s
life, including sex, religion, bodily functions and more. Despite the
fact that some states have outlawed its use outside of the medical environment,
some companies are still giving it to their employees. In most cases,
companies can’t ask you about religion, martial status and race
in job interviews, why should questions that are even more private be
allowed after you are employed. (See Career-Op: Can you ask me that?,
July 23, 1999, (http://welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/ce990723.html)
for more on that issue.)
I cannot imagine a worse situation to place yourself than providing
deeply personal information to your employer. The mind boggles at the
ways you could be abused and manipulated by unscrupulous management.
Of course, you must be ready to accept the consequences of refusing.
Companies may fire you or threaten you with dismissal. They may try
to convince you of the test’s worth using specious arguments or
even outright lies. Regardless of the consequences, though, you must
stand your ground wherever and whenever possible. Otherwise, you must
understand that this particular company will now have a certain amount
of control over you that they might not have had before.
As for requiring RFID implants or other surgical alterations for employees,
this is almost too repugnant to even consider. Violating human rights
is bad enough, but violating the human body, for non-medical reasons,
is inconceivable. I believe that this initial news story was more of
a publicity stunt than anything else, but this doesn’t mean that
some company won’t make a genuine attempt to enforce it in the
near future.
There are lines to be drawn today in employee/employer relationships.
Lines that we never thought would be crossed except in science fiction
stories. Like science fiction, though, what were once just stories are
becoming reality every day. While we have seen and enjoyed the benefits
of the “good ideas” of science fiction such as space flight
and computers, we must guard against those repugnant ideas that demean
everyone involved. Just because something can be done, does not mean
that it should be done. If you and other employees don’t draw
a line in the sand, companies will increasingly overstep their bounds
with impunity. Companies may be seeking out ways to find the “perfect”
employee, but what they are really doing is finding new and innovative
ways to violate basic human rights in the search for higher profitability.
Question of the week: Where do you draw the line on
invasive employer behavior?
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