More than 2,000 federal employees with targeted disabilities are part of a class action against the Social Security Administration because they were not promoted despite their status on best qualified lists.
Targeted disabilities include blindness, partial or complete paralysis, convulsive disorders, deafness, mental retardation, mental illness, and distortion of the limb or spine. EEOC AJ David Norken certified the class action last month in Jantz v. Social Security Administration, EEOC No. 531-2006-00276x (EEOC AJ 10/08/08). He considered data that indicates SSA employees with targeted disabilities are selected for promotion at a rate of 7.7 percent, while the rate for workers without targeted disabilities is 11.7 percent.
This is only one of several signs of pressure on Social Security to adopt more open hiring practices. Most of the pressure has nothing to do with alleged discrimination. It has to do with excessive secrecy. As an employer myself, I cannot comprehend why Social Security would want to keep job openings secret.
I don't understand this any more than you do. But most managers out there are on their own, with no help, and frankly, very limited experience in hiring. We just don't do it very much in the smaller offices. Most of the time, it's most important to avoid firing hassles. That's right, hire a permanent FTE and you're generally stuck with them, no matter how poorly they perform or badly they conduct themselves. And, boy, cold hire employees can be spectacularly bad. So, you end up with a bad deal all around. Too bad for everyone, but I can't see a way around it.
ReplyDeleteAnother freaking shakedown. I didn't get promoted because "fill in the blank."
ReplyDelete