CCW and Job Interviews - What to DO?

[Werewolf]

The job I am currently in pays well enough but business is so bad that there's been a salary freeze since 2001. I'm fed up and will probably be starting a search for new employment within the next month or so. In addition my current employer is very anti-CCW which is another reason for me to leave.

BUT!
How does one go about introducing the subject of CCW with a prospective employer?

Since I've already got a job that doesn't support CCW I might as well move to one where it is not an issue or is at least not prohibited. But I've no idea how to broach the subject. I am not interested in debating the issue with a prospective employer. I just want to find out the company's policy and attitude. I also don't want to waste their or my time. If a prospective employer is anti-CCW there's really no reason for an interview to continue. Which makes me think I should bring it up at the first interview during the obligatory "Do you have any questions about our company" stage but like I said I don't have a clue how to bring up the issue without me coming across as a gun nut who's gonna blow everyone in the place to pieces if they piss me off.

Which begs the question - if there's not one of the dreaded NO Firearms Here signs on the front door should I carry during a job interview?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Ask if they have written "employment policies" or manual. If they are interested in hiring you, they shouldn't mind sharing it with you. There are all kinds of terms that could be in there that you would not think to ask and they would not think to tell. If they ask why, just say that you can't remember everything to ask and that it would give you a "feel" for the place (or some other blather like that). They might not want you to take it with you before you're hired, but may let you look it over.

 

[usp_fan]

Just about any corporation with a decent HR department is going to have a weapons free workplace policy. This isn't a statement on the second ammendment, it is a recognition that liability insurance is expensive, and Hostile work environment settlements are expensive. I would only anticipate finding a CCW friendly environment in a smaller, privately held corporation run by a person that shares your views. It is sad, but the truth of the modern work environment.

usp_fan

Writing this from my desk in the HR dept of a small division of a large corporation.

 

[Spot77]

Yup....what Henry said.


And this is just my opinion of course, but if it were me, I would leave the ccw locked in the car for any interviews. If you're not sure of the company's policies/politics yet, you don't need the added stress of your ccw with you.

You need to focus on the interview, and not your ccw.

What if by some chance, you print BADLY, or worse you inadvertantly brandish during the interview? An anti-gun HR person will surely call the police before they call you back for a second interview.

I guess it depends on how much you want the job and how much you're willing to compromise.

If you're lucky, you'll have no probs with the ccw at work....but the interview should be a two way street where the company learns about you, and you learn about the company.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[Sheslinger]

Policy is where it would be. Ours specifically prohibits firearms. I would imagine most of them do nowadays.

Sheslinger

 

[George Hill]

Don't ask about it.
Don't tell about it.
Don't bring up the subject.

Get the job. Don't talk guns to co-workers at all until you are absolutely certain you are in a pro-gun camp. If not, your responses should be "Guns? What guns? Staple Guns? What are we talking about? Break time is over, gotta go make cover sheets for the TPS reports..."

You can carry - but no one else has to know you carry. CONCEALLED is something you don't advertise.

 

[Zundfolge]

What George said.


Last large company I worked for didn't have a weapons policy ... closest thing they had was a policy that basicaly said "if you break the law on company property you're fired".

I didn't ever bring it up because most companies over 50 employees will "err on the side of caution" and ban your CCW.

Just ask for the company's "rules of conduct" or employee handbook or wherever else they write down the rules and if you find them to be anti CCW then either don't take the job, or "don't ask, don't tell".


Honestly, if I ever found I needed my CCW piece on the job I'm probably not going to want to work there after the incident anyway so company policy be damned.


My current employer knows I carry only because while out of town with the boss we had to make a stop at a Federal Government building (I had no idea we were going to stop there) so I had to tell him I was carrying.

 

[rayra]

Ask if they have written "employment policies" or manual. If they are interested in hiring you, they shouldn't mind sharing it with you. There are all kinds of terms that could be in there that you would not think to ask and they would not think to tell. If they ask why, just say that you can't remember everything to ask and that it would give you a "feel" for the place (or some other blather like that). They might not want you to take it with you before you're hired, but may let you look it over.

Strongly Seconded (well said).

 

[4v50 Gary]

Keep your mouth shut. You have no interest in guns. HR looks out for those with an "obsession" with weapons as a warning sign of a person who can go nuts. Workplace violence issue you understand.

 

[Quartus]

I'll second George and Gary. It's don't ask, don't tell. In any reasonably good sized company, the BEST you can hope for is that they don't mention it specifically. If you bring it up, you might remind them of their "ommission" and cause them to change the policy, thus perhaps getting some fellow gunny who already works there and carries in trouble.

Shaddap, willya?

 

[strambo]

What bothers me is that they always say "No weapons allowed" and include pepper spray as well with no regard to what may be carried legally. I work in a Hospital, so according to their silly policy nurses can't have pepper spray in their purse walking out to the parking lot at midnight. Absolutely asinine. For you HR folks...wouldn't it satisfy insurance requirements if the policy said something along the lines of "zero tolerance for violence in the workplace and illegal weapons of any kind are prohibited on CO property. For definitions of illegal weapons see -insert local criminal code #-"

That would allow for CCW (and any other legal practice) and if its good enough for society at large why wouldn't it be good enough for private property? If I'm attacked and injured at work where they prohibit me from carrying, couldn't I hold them liable? If they simply used the law as a guideline then I could have protected myself, but they went out of their way to specifically refuse me that right...does that mean they take full responsibility for my safety while on their property, since they won't allow me to take responsibility for it?

Rant over, I feel your pain Werewolf, get a look at the policies ahead of taking the job if you can. Good luck.

 

[another okie]

"For you HR folks...wouldn't it satisfy insurance requirements if the policy said something along the lines of "zero tolerance for violence in the workplace and illegal weapons of any kind are prohibited on CO property."

I am not a "human resources professional" but I am a lawyer.
The answer is no. Here's why:

If you shoot someone while at work, and carry is allowed, the company will certainly be sued. Maybe the suit won't be successful, but they'll be sued. Damages are basically unlimited. Just imagine if Pizza Hut allowed their drivers to carry. Downside # 2: If the fact that you carry becomes known, there is a good chance that someone will find this to be threatening, and sue the company.

However, if someone shoots you at work, you (or your survivors) have only a workers' compensation claim against the company, in which damages are extremely limited, and in some states actually quite trivial. (You may have a claim against the shooter or his psychiatrist or something, but that's not on the company's dollar.)

Balance the two possibilities out for yourself. It just makes sense to ban concealed carry at work.

So say nothing about shooting, guns, hunting in job interviews, unless the company is named "NRA," "Ruger," or "Glock."

I also must strongly agree with what Quartus said. There are lots of companies out there that are just oblivious to this issue and have nothing about it in their policies. If you feel obliged to yap about the issue, there's a good chance you'll ruin it for someone else.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

If you shoot someone while at work, and carry is allowed, the company will certainly be sued. Maybe the suit won't be successful, but they'll be sued. Damages are basically unlimited.

Of course, if carry isn't allowed, they'll be sued also.

 

[SAG0282]

Well, every job I've ever worked has forbidden weapons as part of company policy. At each, I've disregarded that policy at least to some degree and will continue to as I see fit for the conceivable future. If it isn't against the LAW and only violates policy, then I don't care and neither does the company. Why? Because what they don't know doesn't hurt them. That isn't to say that I do carry, or don't at work. (I sometimes post here from work). I just don't really care too much.

I'm in the market for a new job, and have gone to a smattering of interviews of late, and to each I've carried. They never knew, and I had my peace of mind. Everyone won.

 

[flatrock]

Most companies both large and small will have written policies. However, they are often many, many pages long and not in a format that they can just hand you for you to take home and read.

Larger corporations sometimes have phone lines you can call to ask HR questions anonymously. Even if they don't have such a phone line, you can have a friend call their HR department and ask the question. If you're male, it would be a good idea to have a female friend make the call.

Even if they don't have a policy against CCW, they would likely be concerned about your discression about the issue if you brought it up at the interview. There's just too big of a chance of someone in the hiring process being uncomfortable about you carrying a gun when they don't know you yet.

I live in Ohio, and after searching through the policies of the company I work for numerous times, I see not policy on firearms in the workplace.

Unfortunately, the company that leases our building to us is apparently anti-gun, and posted all of their buildings as off limits for firearms. According to the Ohio CCW law, that makes it a misdemenor (criminal tresspass) if I were to bring a gun to work.

The Ohio CCW law is nice in the fact that it gives employeers and property owners immunity from liability due to the acts of CCW holders if they permit them to carrying on their property, so the excuse of companies trying to limit their liability doesn't work here.

I hate to say it, but I'm actually hoping that someone sues one of these places that are banning firearms. I hate to see law abiding people held liable for the criminal acts of others, but I'm not sure much else will get the point across to business owners that they are putting their employees and customers at greater risk by banning them from carrying concealed weapons.

 

[HankB]

George Hill gave the best advice.

Quite often, silence is golden.

 

[Waitone]

Assume all companies have a negative policy. They all have lawyers, don't they?

Don't ask, don't tell.

Play stupid.

Get the job then work the problem.

 

[Treylis]

Like many others have said...

"The first rule of gun club is, you don't talk about gun club. The second rule of gun club, you don't talk about gun club."

 

[Heraclitus]

Asked at a job interview about my CCW status, I would tell the truth. I wouldn't pre-empt their question, of course; but then I wouldn't deliberately lie about myself either.

If the job was one that prohibited the on-sight possession of a concealed weapon, then I'd have a tough decision to make. My choice of livelihood is just as important as my RKBA. Not as tough a decision as you'd think, however, because even if I took the job, I'd still carry everywhere else the law permits -- just as I do now.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Jobs are easier to replace than lives. That saidâ„¢, I've to admit I've never even tried to replace my life, although I have replaced a few jobs over the years.

 

[dairycreek]

Most "good" companies will offer their personnel policies.....................

to you as part of the interview procedure. That would include a copy of their collective bargaining agreement if they are a union shop. If they do not, then you are perfectly within your rights to ask for a copy. A really "good" company will want its prospective employee to be well informed.

As far as volunteering information (such as your penchant to carry concealed) you are under no obligation to volunteer such information and you should not.

If there is no specific prohibition against carrying concealed {or bringing a firearm to the workplace} then you have a choice to make. I certainly would advise you not to ask questions, or enter discussions, or have idle conversations about your desire to carry concealed - ever. Concealed does not just refer to physically covering up a weapon. It also means not telling others that you do/do not carry - ever. In short keep it to yourself at all times.

I have carried concealed for about 30 years now and, to my knowledge, not one of my friends or associates know (or ever knew) that I carried. I am retired now and still adhere to that personal policy. The absolutely only people who know that I carry are my immediate family.

I have always regarded carrying a concealed weapon as the most serious of personal business and a subject not to be bandied about. Good shooting

 

[another okie]

"Of course, if carry isn't allowed, they'll be sued also."

Maybe, maybe not. There are no absolutes. Insurance is about managing risk, which means balancing probabilities. In the pizza delivery shooting that just occurred, the delivery guy's employer prohibited carry and fired him for carrying. They are much less likely to be sued than if they had permitted or encouraged concealed carry. That doesn't mean they won't be sued, but it is less likely.

 

[rbrowning]

I was very fortunate in my last interview. There was a Cabela's catalog on the conferenve room table. Two deer head, a duck, a pike and a fox pelt adorned an office wall.

I took the job.

 

[AZLibertarian]

Well, every job I've ever worked has forbidden weapons as part of company policy. At each, I've disregarded that policy at least to some degree and will continue to as I see fit for the conceivable future. If it isn't against the LAW and only violates policy, then I don't care and neither does the company. Why? Because what they don't know doesn't hurt them.

Mind you, I've had my CCW permit for 10 years now, but I've got to disagree with the above. The workplace is (usually) the private property of your employer. As such, he gets to set the rules about what goes on under his watch. Others have given quite good advice about how to approach the topic in an interview. But to intentionally break your company's CCW rules isn't much different than intentionally breaking the law. Are there other company policies that you ignore? How do you chose between policies to ignore and those to comply with?

If CCW is such a big deal in your worklife, quit any job that bans guns in the workplace, let your boss/HR guy know why you're leaving, and find a job that agrees with your views. Until then, keep your gun locked in the car.

 

[thefitzvh]

My new employer (just got a job in IT) saw me browsing THR, and asked if I was into "guns and stuff." I thought... oh great... here we go.... I'm done.

Then he said "I'd like to get back into shooting... tell me about some good surplus deals."

He loves guns. he owns the office. After some recent events, I've decided to pursue a CCW. I asked him about it, and he said "If you're permitted by the state, and not breaking law in my building, do what the hell you want... just try not to scare the sheep."

I promptly gave him the address to this site.

EDITED TO ADD: IT Jobs rule... but the bad part is, I gotta go into work NOW and do some work to the server. Ick... lemme go grab the mag light, the OC, the knife... HAHA. Wouldn't wanna get accosted at a gas station or anything like that.