Training certification statements for retaining a job

[Derf]

I'm curious about how common a practice is that is used by the human resources department at my current and previous jobs. It seemed to start with the introduction of "sexual orientation" to the list of protected classes. I have a hard time agreeing with the policies, because it runs counter to the idea that we need to repent of our sins.

I'm in the midst of conflicting requirements where the policy at my workplace tells me I have to use someone's preferred pronouns, even when they are contradicted by the person's actual sex. And the training package requires me to agree to abide by the policy in order to acknowledge I've completed the training, which is a condition for employment.

So the conflict is that they want me to potentially lie (potentially use someone's pronouns of choice, which may be opposite of the actual truth of the person's sex), and to agree that I will lie by making a "certification" statement in the form of a clickable button in the electronic training session.

Anyone else have this kind of issue at work? I googled the concept and the results pointed me at an organization called Society for Human Resource Management, or
"SHRM", which claims to represent human resources agents for 115 million people across the globe. Their certification statement is almost verbatim what my HR department is requiring me to sign:

I acknowledge that I received training regarding the prevention of sexual harassment on _____________ (date). I agree to abide by the principles that were explained in this training. I understand that if I have any questions that were not addressed in training or if I encounter any problems, I can contact the Human Resources Manager or the Vice President of Human Resources.

 

[Gary K]

I'm curious about how common a practice is that is used by the human resources department at my current and previous jobs. It seemed to start with the introduction of "sexual orientation" to the list of protected classes. I have a hard time agreeing with the policies, because it runs counter to the idea that we need to repent of our sins.

I'm in the midst of conflicting requirements where the policy at my workplace tells me I have to use someone's preferred pronouns, even when they are contradicted by the person's actual sex. And the training package requires me to agree to abide by the policy in order to acknowledge I've completed the training, which is a condition for employment.

So the conflict is that they want me to potentially lie (potentially use someone's pronouns of choice, which may be opposite of the actual truth of the person's sex), and to agree that I will lie by making a "certification" statement in the form of a clickable button in the electronic training session.

Anyone else have this kind of issue at work? I googled the concept and the results pointed me at an organization called Society for Human Resource Management, or
"SHRM", which claims to represent human resources agents for 115 million people across the globe. Their certification statement is almost verbatim what my HR department is requiring me to sign:

I acknowledge that I received training regarding the prevention of sexual harassment on _____________ (date). I agree to abide by the principles that were explained in this training. I understand that if I have any questions that were not addressed in training or if I encounter any problems, I can contact the Human Resources Manager or the Vice President of Human Resources.

I wouldn't work there as my conscience wouldn't allow me to sign off on something I knew I didn't agree with. The dishonesty of it is just more than my conscience would allow. I've had to make moral decisions like this since becoming a Christian 40+ years ago and it caused me to walk away from some really good paying jobs and not be considered for a lot of others. It's a question of whom you're going to honor with your life.

 

[Derf]

I wouldn't work there as my conscience wouldn't allow me to sign off on something I knew I didn't agree with. The dishonesty of it is just more than my conscience would allow. I've had to make moral decisions like this since becoming a Christian 40+ years ago and it caused me to walk away from some really good paying jobs and not be considered for a lot of others. It's a question of whom you're going to honor with your life.

Thanks, Ffree. This is essentially what happened to my last job. But I'm asking the questions at this point. My boss tells me it's a new perspective, and maybe it will get some people thinking. He's not necessarily in agreement with me, but not in disagreement, either.

 

[Gary K]

Thanks, Ffree. This is essentially what happened to my last job. But I'm asking the questions at this point. My boss tells me it's a new perspective, and maybe it will get some people thinking. He's not necessarily in agreement with me, but not in disagreement, either.

We don't live by someone else's point of view. We must all live by our own consciences and what we know to be right.

I'm just saying what I would have to do. I've walked away from some big time financial opportunities because I would not place myself in a position where I would have to do something I couldn't look myself in the mirror for in the morning and like who I saw. I walked away from a $100,000+/year opportunity one time over that. I just couldn't do it. I've been accused of being really stupid for doing it, but I've always had food to eat and a clear conscience is worth a lot more than money.

 

[Derf]

We don't live by someone else's point of view. We must all live by our own consciences and what we know to be right.

I'm just saying what I would have to do. I've walked away from some big time financial opportunities because I would not place myself in a position where I would have to do something I couldn't look myself in the mirror for in the morning and like who I saw. I walked away from a $100,000+/year opportunity one time over that. I just couldn't do it. I've been accused of being really stupid for doing it, but I've always had food to eat and a clear conscience is worth a lot more than money.

I was fired a couple weeks ago. Not for the reason stated above solely. They had this odd covid test policy that only applied to those who were unvax'd or wouldn't provide vax status, where they wanted me to test twice a week. I told them I would do it as long as they treated everybody who could catch and communicate the disease the same way (which would have to include the vaccinated, too). They rejected my conditions. This is a company that advises the government on science and technical issues! We should all be very disturbed that real science has no place in our government any more.

 

[Idolater]

Sorry Derf, hope you 'land on your feet'!

 

[Derf]

Sorry Derf, hope you 'land on your feet'!

Thanks, Idolater. As a 2nd firing in a specialized field, I don't expect there's much more for me there, so it may be an opportunity to try another field.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal to do the testing, which they were willing to pay for, but I don't feel comfortable working for a company that implements policies for such ambiguous reasons--and then makes them mandatory.