If someone is representing my company, I don't want an addict, a racist, a child abuser or a freako conspiracy theorist meeting my customers and making people think I agree with that.
If I have a company, I should have a right to have my company represented in a manner consistent with my values. I should have a choice on what kind of people represent me.
It may be their jobs but the company is my life. I should have a right to protect my life.
If their lives and personal activities NEVER intruded on the hours that they are paid for, I wouldn't care what they do. But it always does. Nobody spend 100% of the time they are paid to be at work, doing work. The do personal stuff all the time and they have personal conversation. If they are bringing personal stuff to work, I should have a right to determine if that personal stuff they bring to work is going to harm my business.
Originally Posted by: Dexter_Sinister
You're right. It's your company. And you should be able to ask a prospective employee anything you want. Agree with that 100%.
If you want to run a security check, bank account check, spending patterns check, have sixteen drug tests, find out what I write on my blog and inside my facebook profile, ask for copies of all the rough drafts of my anarchist babblings, ask what I think of President Moron or Senator Idiot, know what church I go to, feel free.
Personally, I'd rather people who feel as you do ask your questions before I was hired, rather than finding it out after I went to work for you. Then I'm much more likely to get the kind of work situation I want, rather than get there and find out my habits/crazinesses are going to be unacceptable. I'm bothered a lot less by someone who says up front "it matters to me that you're this impolitic anarchist econ whacko, and I don't want you working for me," than someone who says "your personal philosophical and political views don't matter here" and then, after I'm working there, I find they don't just matter, they control."
I hate all this pussyfooting lawyers and HR people and do-gooders have us do in the name of "fair employment practices." Except for certain cases of racial/gender/etc discrimination, employers and employees should be free to associate with each other (or to refuse to associate with each other) however they damn well please and on whatever terms they damn well want to insist upon.
I'm not going to sue you or any prospective employer for asking improper questions. Unless I'm a child or somehow mentally impaired, I don't think there are any improper questions. You're right: it's your business, and you should have the ability to run it any way you please. I've been a small businessman, and I expect I will be again.
Just don't be surprised when I gently refuse to. OR when I loudly tell you to fuck your job and thenspread the word about what kinds of requests you make. Your company's reputation is a function of what your employees do and say. And your reputation is a function of what you do and say.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)