6 Surprises You Don't Want at Your Hearing - EEOC Tips for Employees скачать в хорошем качестве

6 Surprises You Don't Want at Your Hearing - EEOC Tips for Employees

I thought sharing some of those things might be useful for those of you who are getting close to your own hearings - so you can go in a little more mentally prepared than I was. NASA was in control. I always expected my “hearing” would be held in some kind of federal Administrative Building IN the city where my AJ was located. Instead, it was located AT NASA, to make things as easy as possible for THEM, the defendant. It wasn’t on neutral turf. Prior to my hearing, everyone on my side - me, my witnesses, my attorneys - had to go through background checks. The morning of, we went in early to get badged and get checked at a vehicle gate that was manned with armed guards. The whole scene seemed like it was set to be as intimidating as possible. 2. Being asked “What was your job?” Duh right? But I’d been retired for awhile, so when I was asked this question, I was lost for a bit. I was good at my job and very accomplished. My work has been featured in magazines like Discover, Aerospace Weekly and National Geographic, but I didn’t say any of that. Partly because I wasn’t one to brag about those things except in jest. Almost all my co-workers were accomplished. But for my hearing, I wish I’d bragged a LITTLE. NASA’s witnesses did. So as basic as it sounds, be able to explain what your job was and hold your head high while you do it. 3. Testimony is a memory test. I had told my story several dozen times, but most of those times were also before I retired. By my hearing, I’d forgotten a lot of it. I hadn’t actually read my statement in awhile, and I thought since my statement was already in the record, I wouldn’t have to. Wrong! Luckily, my boss & the Diversity Manager had even bigger memory problems than I did, so it didn’t work against me, but I wish I’d done better. 4. Expect new evidence to be introduced. In the middle of my hearing, the judge asked NASA to provide copies of all emails between the Diversity Manager and me during the January to March timeframe. NASA didn’t find any. Luckily, even though the judge hadn’t asked ME to look for those emails, I did… and I found some that NASA “overlooked.” The judge asked how I got them. I told him I kept copies of everything I ever had, even the documents that I didn’t believe were relevant, just in case… and every time he asked for something, I checked my files too. This happened a few times over the course of my hearing. Because I always had the documents, most of the new evidence that was brought in worked in MY favor, and it hit NASA’s credibility pretty hard. In difference circumstances, it might have given NASA an advantage, by allowing them to bring in last-minute evidence that my attorney wasn’t prepared for. 5. Employers will lie ( or “incorrectly recall”) even more than you expect them to. At my hearing, the Diversity Manager insisted that she met with my boss and me together, several times. It had never happened once. My boss had flatly refused to ever discuss it with me. Ever. And I could prove it. That was pivotal. 6. Expect social media to rear its ugly head. Before you file a claim, do yourself a favor & purge your social media of anything that’s too personal or too negative. And be sure that what you do post is honest. There may be other surprises waiting at YOUR hearing and I can’t give you a head up about all of them, but the ones I’ve shared with you are a few that we employees can actually do something about, and the more prepared you are going into your hearing, the better your chances of beating all your employer’s tricks and prevailing on your claims. Info on Hearings from EEOC: https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/m... https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/f... How to Prepare for Federal Sector Hearings http://eeo21.com/Fed_EEOC_hearing_how... --- All opinions are my own. Not LEGAL advice. Just me sharing my perspective as an employee who went through the EEOC claims process & won. I am not an expert at all things EEOC. While I do my best to be factual in my observations, viewers should assume that all observations or statements are ALLEGEDLY. *Never trust your fate to a YouTube content creator. Do your own research, pilot your own vessel. * --- Background photo on thumb courtesy of searchable NASA Image Library: https://images.nasa.gov/ 00:00 – Intro 00:12 – Surprise #1: Ways an EEOC Hearing Isn’t Like Court 01:30 – Surprise #2: Explain what? 02:17 – Surprise #3: Testimony is a Memory Test 03:12 – Surprise #4: The Judge May Request New Evidence 04:11 – Surprise #5: They May Lie Even More than You Expect 04:27 – Surprise #6: Expect Social Media to Come Up 04:52 - Be Ready & Good Luck!