Anonymously asking company to update weapons policy?

[chlag01]

My company has not updated their weapons policy since SB 321 took effect. I don't want to draw attention to myself, so it there an anonymous, free way to notify them that their policy violates the law and needs to be updated?

[johnson0317]

Why bother? Their inability to update their policy manual does not inhibit your right to have the gun in your car. I think TAM, and others, have put it pretty well...just let it go.

RJ

[chlag01]

True, but suppose one did decide to bother, is there an anonymous, free way to do so?

[seamusTX]

You can write a letter and mail it. It does cost 44 cents at present.

Tracing a postal letter is nearly impossible unless it concerns something illegal that would justify getting warrants (like a death threat).

Anything you do online is easily traceable by IT people who don't need warrants—especially if they already know you are an employee.

That said, I agree with the "why bother" comments. Management is not going to welcome armed employees, period. (I don't blame them.) You stand a chance of encouraging them to develop a dodge that will allow them to prohibit employees—kind of like pointing out misspellings in the Spanish part of a 30.06 sign.

- Jim

[BFGJoe]

While I don't think asking a company to change their policy is necessarily the route to go, I think there are many ways to go about getting the ball rolling on the subject.

- Does your company have an anonymous ethics and compliance hotline?
- Do you know anyone in HR or with influence that regularly meets with HR that may ask anonymously on your behalf?
- If you are in a supervisory role you can ask on behalf of "discussions you have heard" and would like to know what your stance should be as a supervisor
- Do you know anyone who hunts that may be a once or twice a year storer of weapons that would be willing to ask the question of their supervisor in that context?
- Seems to me like some of the gun oriented organizations (NRA-ILA, TSRA) would have a means to make notification to employers of the new law
- An anonymous letter? Well, that sounds kind of creepy, but it may do

Just because there isn't a new policy right now don't assume that they are not working on it either. This caught many companies off guard even though it shouldn't have. In fact, many are finding out about it through queries from their employees. There has been no official change to the policy at my work yet but there are indications (change in signage) that they are working on it and I am confident that they will comply.

In one case I was able to find an HR person with no vested interest in the policy other than doing the right thing and they challenged the executive leadership on the issue. Took some backbone, but in the end the individual was praised for their efforts to speak up on what was about to be a big mistake. If you find the right person it could be a great opportunity for them to receive positive recognition.

If you see no other option than to address it directly yourself, I would be sure to do so in a manner that can be documented if you are worried about retaliation. If you are truly worried about this then you may want to work harder to find another way.

The "don't say anything" situation is different than the improperly posted 30.06 example. In that case, the property owner has the right to limit your possession on their property, they have just failed to properly exercise that right. In this case you are entitled to the right to possess as an employee on an employer's parking lot except in very specific circumstances...completely different. And what if you assume you are in the clear but you are actually wrong and the employer is covered by an exception? What is your defense then? I'm sorry, but many people fought long and hard to get this legislation passed only to have us running around "under cover" with our "secret CHL badges" hoping that everything will be okay if we just keep to ourselves. It is going to get worked out one way or another, either through polite and orderly discussion or through a test-case incident that more than likely won't be pretty. Even if you keep your job or get it back, you will always be "that guy/gal".

Good luck!
- Joe

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Another angle to conside is that modern printers have been equipped with some kind kind
of micro ID which is able to be read and traced back to a particular printer.

If you wrote such a letter and printed it on your home printer, it would seem unlikely that your company
would be able to do enough detective work to determine it was from you. Law enforcement would be more
likely to have the power to find out your home computer's secret ID.

But if you printed it off on a company printer, there's more of a chance that your IT people may be aware
of all the company printers' hidden ID's. They could narrow it down to your departmental printer, and you
could draw your employer's attention to you.

SIA

[Dragonfighter]

Another angle to conside is that modern printers have been equipped with some kind kind
of micro ID which is able to be read and traced back to a particular printer.

If you wrote such a letter and printed it on your home printer, it would seem unlikely that your company
would be able to do enough detective work to determine it was from you. Law enforcement would be more
likely to have the power to find out your home computer's secret ID.

But if you printed it off on a company printer, there's more of a chance that your IT people may be aware
of all the company printers' hidden ID's. They could narrow it down to your departmental printer, and you
could draw your employer's attention to you.

SIA

Just a nit to pick, an IP address is in no way indicated on a printed document, but IPs sending jobs to printers are. So following the advice to print at home or anywhere not at work is sound; but even a forensics expert would be hard pressed to prove you printed it. That said, your oils do leave prints on paper so keep it strictly professional or where gloves.

[RoyGBiv]

Another angle to conside is that modern printers have been equipped with some kind kind
of micro ID which is able to be read and traced back to a particular printer.

I was about to call you paranoid (DragonFighter beat me to it anyways ), but apparently it is me that is naive.
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/big-broth ... again/2031" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.pcworld.com/article/118664/g ... ments.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Both pretty reputable sources.

[gigag04]

Put picket signs in the front landscaping?

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Dragonfighter:
I knew that the IP addy was not the data printed on the document, but didn't do any google-fu to further describe
the data which was imprinted.

RoyGBiv:
Thank you sir for providing the correct links about the secret serial numbers to which I was alluding.

SIA

[kimberwolf]

Another angle to conside is that modern printers have been equipped with some kind kind
of micro ID which is able to be read and traced back to a particular printer.

You can cut out letters from a magazine and tape them to a piece of paper to make an anonymous note.

'

[seamusTX]

- An anonymous letter? Well, that sounds kind of creepy, but it may do...

How is it different from an anonymous phone call?

An employee can point out the change in Texas law and the fact that company policy has not been updated to conform to the law.

I'm not talking about a threatening letter or some 100-page screed about constitutional rights (which anyway would be irrelevant to a private employer).

Assuming that everyone in the known universe except my sister uses a PC to write letters, I would very strongly recommend doing it at home and not on a company-owned machine. The paranoid can buy used printers at flea markets—though I don't think that measure is necessary.

There is a huge disparity in power between a corporate employer and an employee. The ugly fact is, for nearly all employees, the employee needs the income more than the company needs that individual. Probably there are a dozen people looking for work, who could do the job and couldn't care less about whether they were allowed have a heater in their ride.

- Jim

[chlag01]

Another angle to conside is that modern printers have been equipped with some kind kind
of micro ID which is able to be read and traced back to a particular printer.

If you wrote such a letter and printed it on your home printer, it would seem unlikely that your company
would be able to do enough detective work to determine it was from you. Law enforcement would be more
likely to have the power to find out your home computer's secret ID.

But if you printed it off on a company printer, there's more of a chance that your IT people may be aware
of all the company printers' hidden ID's. They could narrow it down to your departmental printer, and you
could draw your employer's attention to you.

SIA

Thanks. I actually thought about this very thing when I read the 'send a letter' suggestion. My next thought was how old of a printer one would need to predate the hidden ID. I suppose a dot-matrix printer would have it's own set of trace-ability issues.

Some very good and funny comments here. One issue might be that our corporate policy is written to cover all US sites. I know of a couple state-specific sections to cover California labor laws, but the corporate policies don't typically make state-by-state policy statements. They may be reluctant to add a Texas exemption to their generic no-weapons policy. If anyone cares, the wording of the policy prohibits "weapons on all property and premises owned or leased by the company" The policy FAQ says this includes the parking lot.

I will probably just leave the issue alone, but I have contemplated trying to get the policy updated. One reason is that, since an employer could fire you for any "other" reason they want if they do find a gun in your car, it seems that they'd be less likely to do so if the company policy explicitly permits it. I know the whether-or-not aspect has been discussed in numerous other threads, so I was trying to focus on the if-I-do aspect.

[seamusTX]

One issue might be that our corporate policy is written to cover all US sites. I know of a couple state-specific sections to cover California labor laws, but the corporate policies don't typically make state-by-state policy statements.

Texas came late to this rodeo. Oklahoma has had a similar law for years. It has been dragged through the courts and upheld. Georgia adopted one a couple of years ago. Any large corporation knows about this and is willfully ignoring it, if that is what they are doing.

By contrast, a few years back California passed a law requiring employers to provide the same benefits for unmarried domestic partners—straight or gay—that they provide for legally married couples. Many companies that had operations in California immediately made such a policy company-wide with little fuss.

I respect the attitude of modern-day Minutemen, but cruising under the radar has served me well for a long time.

BTW, my wife literally fired hundreds of people for violations of policy. Most were gross violations like faking time cards or stealing. A good manager can fire anyone legally for some perfectly documented policy violation. If they decide after some incident to come up with a reason, they will offer you a transfer to the branch office in Burkina Faso.

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

One issue might be that our corporate policy is written to cover all US sites. I know of a couple state-specific sections to cover California labor laws, but the corporate policies don't typically make state-by-state policy statements.

Texas came late to this rodeo. Oklahoma has had a similar law for years. It has been dragged through the courts and upheld. Georgia adopted one a couple of years ago. Any large corporation knows about this and is willfully ignoring it, if that is what they are doing.

By contrast, a few years back California passed a law requiring employers to provide the same benefits for unmarried domestic partners—straight or gay—that they provide for legally married couples. Many companies that had operations in California immediately made such a policy company-wide with little fuss.

I respect the attitude of modern-day Minutemen, but cruising under the radar has served me well for a long time.

BTW, my wife literally fired hundreds of people for violations of policy. Most were gross violations like faking time cards or stealing. A good manager can fire anyone. legally for some perfectly documented policy violation. If they decide after some incident to come up with a reason, they will offer you a transfer to the branch office in Burkina Faso.

- Jim

We're starting to wend our way home to the Pineywoods next week via the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Is Burkina Faso anywhere near our route home?