In recent weeks, Guru has been besieged by interview stories from hell, or thereabouts, all clamouring for his inadvertently established Workplace Weirdo Award 2006TM. Each time, HR folk have described the various morons, low-lifes and no-hopers who have dared to darken their doors.
But this got the Blue Yin thinking. It dawned on him that this was all terribly one-sided. What might these folk have thought of the HR monsters who were grilling them?
What a stroke of luck then that the following e-mail arrived from disciple Jacqueline:
Dear Guru,
A few years ago I applied for an HR manager role in a locally based ‘global communications company’.
The operations director opened the interview with the confession that he would have to be honest about an aspect of the company which wasn’t common knowledge in the local community.
He said that the company was indeed operating in the communications business –namely in ‘adult’ publishing. The company name and website content was a front for what the company really did, which was publish and distribute adult magazines, as well as run adult chatlines at another office across town.
The interview was a bit surreal, as I was asked questions such as: “How would you feel about seeing adult magazines left lying around the offices?” I was told I would have to be tough dealing with the women operating the chatlines as they were hardened, rough women off the council estates.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
He finally said that the other businesses on the same small business park had no idea what this company did, although they had suspicions. He told me this was probably due to the blacked out 4×4 that the large, pony-tailed, tattooed American owner and his minders were driven around in.
Guru can’t believe Jacqueline missed the opportunity to make a living being treated rough by some dirty-talking women. He has to pay considerable sums of cash for that kind of service.
