question about PQ process and privacy

[Anonymous]

i’m curious, if you don’t pass the PQ, who all is that information shared with? would the people you would have been working for know all about the reasons why you didn’t pass? or is it up to you to explain it to them that you didn’t pass?

i mean, if its just some dental work that needs to be done that’s one thing, but what if it’s something you don’t necessarily want to discuss?

i mean, even if it doesn’t prevent you from PQ’ing, would your supervisors and coworkers know about all about your medical history?

[Sciencetech]

Hi Bird,

The short answer is No, your medical information should remain private, regardless of whether you PQ or not.

This is an issue that is one of my pet peeves about how the program is run, so you’ve touched a nerve. In short, if you go to medical about some job-related injury or illness, they may tell your supervisor. Even if it’s a personal issue, they *may* tell your supervisor if it affects your work in some way.

For PQing, if you NPQ then again, No, nobody should find out the details other than the medical department and perhaps the hiring manager, if warranted. However, the rules are often broken. I recently found out (from the company) why someone NPQ’d even though it was none of my business (are you listening RPSC and NSF?).

If you NPQ your are under no obligation to tell anybody anything. If you decide to make it public, well that’s your business.

*whew* That topic always gets me riled up.

[Been There]

Glenn,

Seriously doubt anyone at NSF reads this board. I only know of one individual that did and he retired in July. If anyone at RPSC reads the board I doubt they would tell management.

BT

[Anonymous]

thanks for your responses!

i kinda figured it was a Technical No, but my impression is that strictly kept confidentiality of medical issues isn’t really the reality. which makes me uneasy. i wouldn’t want anyone to face further discrimination (for jobs on the ice or not) because of information that is shared with people who have no business otherwise knowing.

[Baghdad Jim]

We had a guy that went about the company a different way – he sidestepped any company policies altogether. He found the laws that regulate who, anywhere on the planet, is allowed to ask your social security number and listed every single instance in which they’re allowed to record, display, or use it. Interestingly enough, our company listed it on every medical form.

Us gov’t contractors have to follow these laws. True, its up the company policy to deem the usage and clearance levels of your medical paperwork – thats not a federally protected item necessarily. By contract/agreement statements, they might agree to withhold it, but it all depends on their current policies. Internally.

But…regardless of company policies, including Raytheon’s, if your SSN is on that document, then it is a federally protected document and RPSC has to – MUST – follow the laws regarding who is allowed to see that information.

In our case, they weren’t following it at all. They were using an Iraqi staff for the admin office work which included medical transcriptionist and records keeping. Whoops. All the documents were passed from my embassy in Kirkuk, thru several admin types and cargoed on a plane to Baghdad. There, they were handed to a random courier (company employee that happens top be going in that direction) and dropped at HR, which is staffed by a lot of Bosnians, Macedonians, Russians, and other Balkans nationals. Ya know, recently former Soviet nations….the capital of the worlds ID theft and internet fraud incidents.

Like Glenn, we heard about certain people personal stuff like when one manager gave her direct underling a certain venereal condition. When someone had a history of getting IV’s due to alcoholic dehydration. Even silly stuff like who has hemorrhoids and genital warts.

I was always the good guy so I would put a bug in the PM’s ear about the medical info leaks. Except about the manager and the VD…that was breaking more rules than I cared to be called in for to answer who I heard it from.

[Author]

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