RallyPoint Employer Wall of Shame?

2014-10-24T14:07:10-04:00

I am looking for some ideas to see if this would be something RP members would like to become a part of. Naturally, companies spend millions of dollars in advertisement, recruitment, and sign on bonuses, along with the promises of treating veterans will and going out of their way to specifically hire veterans because of their skill sets.

But what happens when that hits the fan? What do we hear about companies that go out of their way to hire veterans but then stab them in the back?

I propose that RallyPoint create an Employer Wall of Shame-a listing or posting of companies that deliberately paint a false picture and then screw veterans over. I have a picture perfect case for this instance and would be more than happy to share my story. I am hoping that this can encourage others to do the same. Only stipulations-you have a valid cause for not liking the company. In my example, I was forced to move somewhere, paid rent in two different places, and then was fired for having to return to Arizona for drill. They knew about it well in advance, and did it anyways.

What are your thoughts, Warfighters?

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2014 2:09 PM

2014-10-24T14:09:40-04:00

I think that it could be a problem as it's very subjective. What if you inadvertently harm a company's reputation based on a bad report from a disgruntled employee? How would you vet that?

Response by SGT Richard H. made Oct 24 at 2014 2:16 PM

2014-10-24T14:16:34-04:00

I'd love to see it, but it also has "libel suit" written all over it.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 24 at 2014 2:29 PM

2014-10-24T14:29:01-04:00

I also wanted to add the following:
1. This is not a smear campaign. One of the objectives of this potential feature or review board is to simply inform veterans out there that there are employers that take advantage of veterans. If we can somehow maintain neautrality, ie, you post a narrative, then the website adds the employer. It has thumbs up for positive comments, thumbs down for things like firing because of stupid reasons, IE, drill obligations or commitments, etc.

2. Definitely something for legal to look at, and it is a risk that the member will have to take. However, if the member does have a legitamate case against said employer, than that takes care of it all in of itself.

Response by CPT Zachary Brooks made Oct 24 at 2014 2:38 PM

2014-10-24T14:38:29-04:00

We are here to help service members during their transition as one of the many roles of Rallypoint. Having a wall of shame for bad employers could be a great warning for newly separated SMs looking for work.

Would you recommend the opposite? Possibly posting possible employers and a rating system with reviews written by service members? So you can Amazon product search possible jobs in your area.

Response by PO1 Ron Clark made Oct 24 at 2014 2:51 PM

2014-10-24T14:51:55-04:00

This is a great idea! There are employers out here who like to say that hey "Were veteran friendly", but the reality is they are not! If you are hired at some companies who don't have many or any veterans, then that company's atmosphere have very little respect for the veteran or the veterans qualification. A lot of veterans are highly qualified and very skilled in the MOS/Skill/Rating they trained in the military. Some companies just look over the qualifications the veteran trained for and often nepotize for some other candidate when the veteran would be perfect in the job.

Response by SN Jennifer M. made Oct 27 at 2014 6:13 PM

2014-10-27T18:13:04-04:00

I am honestly doubled sided on this. Personally I think it would end up back firing.

Response by Sgt Israel Zinns made Oct 30 at 2014 12:31 AM

2014-10-30T00:31:07-04:00

I actually had a 1-on-1 meeting with my supervisor today and because she has been so supportive (the company is in general) of military members and their other responsibilities she was presented with an award for it. I'll have to check what organization presented it, but knowing what companies are flexible with that type of stuff is important.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2014 12:46 AM

2014-10-30T00:46:05-04:00

I am really at a loss here and if they are not verified that might be a problem upfront.

Response by Cpl Ray Fernandez made Oct 30 at 2014 12:53 AM

2014-10-30T00:53:02-04:00

I'd be careful with this, sometimes people complain and blame an organization based on one individual's actions or worse they're the ones at fault and are unwilling or unable to admit their role in the way that situation turned out to go against them. It would need to be carefully handled and an organization should be able to respond and point out their side of the situation just to avoid an adversarial relationship with companies that may not be at fault or not given an opportunity to correct themselves.

Response by Kevin Owens made Nov 5 at 2014 6:52 AM

2014-11-05T06:52:13-05:00

Just to shed a little light from the employer side.... there are a lot of site out there that rate employers and give reviews on working there. (Glassdoor.com, Jobvent.com, etc) It's not something new and I guess my opinion on it is that if someone had something bad to say about my company I would want to know about it. You can't fix what you don't know about and though we want to think that everyone would be educated enough to know the benefits of hiring military that is not always the case. I would have no issue with it. Some of the best changes that I have seen in my company have come about from feedback from our employees and external feedback from our customers.

Response by SGT William B. made Nov 5 at 2014 3:40 PM

2014-11-05T15:40:24-05:00

#1 result on the top of the wall, the US Army:

- won't work with your schedule
- forces you to work nights, weekends, and holidays
- must wear obnoxious yellow belt and tracking device at all times
- will force you to pay half your pay to a spouse that cheated on you
- cafeteria food is terrible

0/10, would not do again.

(as a note, before the mobs with torches and pitchforks show up, I'm totally kidding)

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Nov 20 at 2014 9:40 PM

2014-11-20T21:40:10-05:00

In this lawsuit society that we have become I would have to keep away from that idea.

Response by SSG Lawrence Crow made Dec 2 at 2014 1:22 PM

2014-12-02T13:22:08-05:00

I love the idea. However, I feel it would open RP up for legal ramifications.

Response by CSM Michael Lynch made Dec 2 at 2014 1:58 PM

2014-12-02T13:58:01-05:00

SGT Private RallyPoint Member Have you gotten with ESGR on your being fired from that position for attending your drills. It is against federal law for them to let you go because you have NG or Reserve duties. Your Local ESGR folks would be more than happy to assist you with this issue.

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2015 6:27 PM

2015-01-08T18:27:49-05:00

I love this idea and think it's awesome. I am concerned that if a company is paying RP for advertising and they end up being shamed how does RP handle that? There could cause potential for bias. They are after all a business too and have costs of keeping this free for us. I would love to hear input from LTC Yinon Weiss and CPT Aaron Kletzing their thoughts about this. Being a former business person I'm thinking as if I were in their shoes. I do love this idea. Maybe on the same vein as CPT Zachary Brooks said promote the ones does good too.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2015 10:06 PM

2015-01-08T22:06:43-05:00

Slander is proven when the claim is false.

I.E. You are fired for being late all the time. Not notifying your employer of your drill weekends. Not telling them until the last moment of your two week obligations and the such. Then coming on here and saying they fired me because I was military.

Response by TSgt Jackie Jones made Jan 8 at 2015 10:19 PM

2015-01-08T22:19:31-05:00

I am afraid that ONE bad experience may hurt a great employer. Let's be honest here. Shit happens and people get fired. Do we turn that into a "it's cause I was a Veteran"? Or do we really trust the one side of the story. Will the employer have a chance to share their side? I don't want it to be a business bashing forum. So far I have experienced nothing but professionalism on this forum, so I'd hope it stays that way!

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2015 12:52 AM

2015-01-09T00:52:25-05:00

Let's be absolutely clear. There are those agencies that love to say they help veterans and after with them they seem to forget what they were there for. I am not saying all, but too many and honestly, an service organization can do what they do.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2015 1:26 AM

2015-01-09T01:26:22-05:00

I think this could work if it was well regulated. Like dudes shouldn't be able to just be pissed off and trash talk. But legit issues with contractors should be addressed. More over, it should be done through official channels and recorded at the various service contracting departments.

But I also think there should be a "Hall of Fame" for the guys that truly provide great service and do the right thing. I've had some awesome experiences with the civilian mountaineering community and equipment providers as well as a local ranch at we trained horsemanship and pack animal operations. These guys have done a lot gather our input, provide phenomenal training and equipment, and continue to work with us in spite of the pitfalls of the government contracting system.

In fact it would make sense from a fiscal perspective. If you have companies that performed on past contracts there should be a way to give them an edge during a future biding process. That way you don't have dudes that underbid the incumbent only to hit you with cost plus, or with additional charges to fix a bad product that they delivered.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2015 9:06 PM

2015-01-09T21:06:10-05:00

Making s call on an employer can be tough especially if you don't know what to look for. A good way to evaluate a perspective employer is to look at the company as an investor would. Any public company is required to publish a Finantial statement which will tell you their overall health, solvency, and future outlook. To interpret the data sheet I recomend using http://www.investopedia.com to look up terms you don't understand, and they even have a page specifically on how to read statements and evaluate companies.

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Response by PO3 John Jeter made Jan 10 at 2015 3:55 AM

2015-01-10T03:55:37-05:00

I'm thinking this would be great for showing potential trouble topics to be resolved prior to employment. If you have a written agreement beforehand it can avoid a large number of pitfalls. One of the biggest complications will be separating the actions of mid-level management from corporate policy. I'm sure you all know that will be the escape mechanism for any employer on the wall, if enacted. So if the wall fails to take shape, perhaps a forum describing the same problems without naming employers to develop methods and strategies for dealing with or preventing abusive practices. In some instances being penalized because of military obligations might be illegal. We're almost certain to have people with the knowledge about how to proceed with complaints of that nature. You could also talk about successful compromises with employers for others to attempt. In any shape or form, this could be a very helpful thing. Best of luck to you all!

Response by Capt Christian D. Orr made Jan 20 at 2015 10:45 AM

2015-01-20T10:45:04-05:00

Damn good idea!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2015 2:45 AM

2015-01-28T02:45:14-05:00

Considering how many transitioning and currently retired SMs the RallyPoint Community has, I think this would be a great addition to the site's features.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2015 3:19 AM

2015-01-28T03:19:19-05:00

I think that the fact that we are all here on RallyPoint denotes that we are internet users, which means we can achieve this objective through other means. May I suggest Glassdoor, or I'm sure there are probably others? There you can not only get a fair assessment of what current or former employees say, but a lot more info (ex. Salary, benefits, etc.).

Here's Glassdoor (Also has an App) for example: http://www.glassdoor.com/

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2015 3:17 PM

2015-01-28T15:17:42-05:00

BAD IDEA! You want to keep veterans from having access to companies, you start something like this no company would participate in RallyPoint. They would not take the chance to "help a vet" if there was a risk of having something like what you're describing happen.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 30 at 2015 10:02 AM

2015-01-30T10:02:10-05:00

I don't think this would be a problem... Sites like Glassdoor have employee reviews, Salary information, etc. I think it becomes a problem if you label it 'The Wall of Shame'. Let everyone use the information provided to make big boy and big girl decisions. Make it a tool we can use.

Response by SFC(P) Tobias M. made Feb 6 at 2015 5:08 PM

2015-02-06T17:08:52-05:00

But I would also like to see an Employer Wall of Greatness. if your going to do one you need to do both.

Response by SSgt Todd Ricker made Feb 6 at 2015 6:21 PM

2015-02-06T18:21:03-05:00

This can be a double edge sword. There are great companies out there that go out of their way to find quality vets. But sometimes the match isn't good, the communication and expectations gets crossed, and it's usually the vet who feels chaffed. But is it the company's fault? Maybe, probably, but not always.
I look to recruit vets in my position here at Farmers Insurance, and sometimes I have to pass because I know it's not the right opportunity for some people.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made May 12 at 2015 3:26 PM

2015-05-12T15:26:35-04:00

Yes, but we should view it case by case. One disgruntled employee cannot equal employer wall of shame.

Response by SGT S Johnson made May 12 at 2015 9:12 PM

2015-05-12T21:12:23-04:00

WHERE IS MY PROTECTION UNDER THE AMENDMENTS??????????????

This is How SHADY, UN-TRUTHFUL HYPOCRITICAL People RUIN A VETS REPUTATION!!!
I am a Disabled Combat Veteran of ( 2005-2006 )Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I am awaiting another VA claim from Jul 2012
I have a CCW lic.
I have been working for KRoger co as a Butcher, for Over 28 yrs. I have been Demoted 2 times due to my Physical injuries, I am no longer able to do the job I did before I went to Iraq.
I believe my Problems Started after my Mgr told Me to "TAKE that SH$T off your hat!!! THAT SH$T is an OIF Combat Veteran ribbons hat, a USA Flag pin and my Wounded Warrior pin!!!
I asked him to Apologize and he said "NO" I went to His boss and She said "ITS JUST A FLAG and PINS"
I was recently transferred to a new location because my supervisor (of 3 months time) had a problem with me confronting him on referring to me as a PATHETIC CRIPPLE and being LAZY, I also came to the aide of some part-time employee's.
I have been at the previous location since 2008 with 2 different supervisor's and 3 different store manager's with NO PROBLEMS.
I am at the new location less than 3 weeks and I am terminated for being a Verbal Threat to EVERYONE! I talked about a video game called Assassins' Creed, I also was overheard asking a fellow hunting enthusiast "I like to go to the shooting range (in the winter because I cant ride my Motorcycle) after work, would you like to join me?"
I am asking for some help in Who to contact. They are treating me like I am going to SNAP from a PERCEIVED PTSD!!!
The KRoger co wants ALL of my MILITARY, VA and Private Medical records.
Do you have any ideas? Do you know of ANY JAG (Ret) officers that might be able to HELP ME?
This ALL took place on 22 FEB 2014.
I went through mediation in DEC 2014 with the UFCW Union and the KRoger co. I was portrayed as a Bat SH$% Crazy Combat Vet that would SNAP & KILL these 2 people, ALL their relatives, and neighbors, do to the PERCEIVED PTSD!
Well I guess the Kurt Busch Family NOW KNOW'S What My family has been going Through!!!
I have been informed the KRoger co has RETALIATED by Demoting a few of My Supporters!
Thanks for your time.

Response by CPT Ahmed Faried made May 12 at 2015 9:23 PM

2015-05-12T21:23:21-04:00

I support this in theory but the practice might present some legal hurdles for RP.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made May 12 at 2015 9:34 PM

2015-05-12T21:34:49-04:00

I think RP could open themselves up to liable and slander lawsuits. Any lawyers on RP should weigh in on this.

If legal risk is minimal, then a capability to identify both good and bad employers would be a good idea. Definitely need strong ground rules and admin oversight.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2015 10:14 PM

2015-05-12T22:14:21-04:00

I think this is a good idea. Employers should not discriminate against vets. If they do it consistently or very blatantly, then yes, they should be on the wall.

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Aug 5 at 2015 8:00 PM

2015-08-05T20:00:59-04:00

Sounds good to me! I think it would/could be very useful!

Response by SGT Jose Perdelia-Torres made Oct 14 at 2015 6:04 PM

2015-10-14T18:04:38-04:00

Bank of America for one. Claiming to support Veterans, which they do. Then basically destroy my financial reputation without a second thought. Sorry to thread bash. I support this idea.