Record all you want. It's not illegal unless you use for certain purposes. You can use it in court as long as it's not criminal court. People in QC have done it and won larger settlements because of their recordings. It's all leverage.
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@ 131336: That's always a possibility. But the OP always has the option of saying she's busy next week, for the next 2 weeks, etc. HR is lazy. They schedule phone interviews so they don't have to deal with you personally, or send you anything in writing. It scares the crap out of legal every time they give you something that they haven't reviewed first. Plus they're afraid someone will go "postal" if they get bad news. Too bad HR isn't managed by Directors. The evil HR ladies would be put in bulletproof glass cubes each morning with tiny slots for speaking and passing through sheets of paper. The lady who manages the supply room would come by twice a day to let them out to go to the bathroom.
@131039: Poster 131003 is correct. Feel free to check with QCOM legal, as we know you HR ladies are too busy gossiping to look anything up yourselves.
that's useless. of course he/she will say no
Just declare you are recording before discussion. Its legal to declare first and start recording. If she says no then stop recording.
@Anonymous131003, Hi HR asshole. You don't scare anyone here. GTFO F*** you!
@ 130960: You don't want to take any notes on a meeting in front of QCOM's HR employees. The notes are information that you want to keep confidential, to help any attorney you may need to hire, in the event of a lawsuit. If QCOM doesn't know the notes exist, and you took down the information to aid you in the preparation of a lawsuit, it may come within attorney/client privilege or other confidentiality protections. IF there are legal issues, and you made the notes in the presence of third parties, they can argue that you didn't intend them to be confidential. It is also particularly important to remember that QCOM routinely backs up their network and probably has access to everything written on their machines. And if you are party to a lawsuit, your personal emails, your personal phone texts, IMs, and social media can usually be subpoenaed. So don't discuss details on social media or websites.
I'm wondering how many thousands phony PIP per year Q distributes? Any guess?
Lock your door and don't answer any call
you are sQrewed
This is what you do: You can't record, but you can document everything. Buy a small inexpensive notebook at Staples or other office supply center for this express purpose that is NOT a brand carried in QCOM's supply room. Mark it inside as your personal property. (You may have to turn it over to an attorney for evidence, so be careful and precise about what else you write in it.) Send and email asking what the meeting concerns. If it concerns anything even remotely legal--PIP, layoff, discrimination or other lawsuits, or even posting on this or any other website, etc., or if they refuse to say anything specific, send an email asking for a face-to-face meeting. Save a copy of this email. If the request is denied, note the date, time, and person who made the request. If they deny by email, save a copy of the email. Then request permission by email to bring a witness. (It can be an attorney, but better choice is to choose someone who is not a QCOM employee or family member, and who has a good memory.) If they deny this, make a note of the date, time and person who made the denial. Keep copies of the email correspondence. Insist on the face-to-face one more time. Most of you work in cubes. Email HR that you would have to put them on speakerphone in order to hear over the 80+ other people in the room. The last thing QCOM wants is 80+ incipient witnesses to what is probably going to be a confidential issue. You will either get the face-to-face meeting, or, if not, some sort of inquiry/notice via hard copy in your internal mailbox or via USPS. Keep copies of the emails and any notes, and note the date, time and persons spoken to. When you make notations in the notebook, you should also put in a brief, FACTUAL description of what was discussed. When you go to the face-to-face. Do NOT take notes during the meeting. LISTEN! Memorize as much as possible. Note the names of any other persons HR brought with them. Find out before you say anything what these third parties do. (Some companies bring in neutral experts or attorneys to act as professional witnesses for the employer.) If they refuse to tell you, or if they are attorneys/expert witnesses, ask to reschedule the meeting so that you can bring YOUR attorney if they don't leave the room. The witnesses usually leave. If you have questions at the end, make sure they are answered. If you are asked to sign anything, ask to take it with you so you can think about it before doing so. And since you didn't write anything down, request a summary of what was discussed. (Save this with all of your other documents.) Write down as much as you can remember in the notebook immediately as soon as possible after the meeting. Start with the date and time of the meeting, the HR Rep. who conducted the meeting, others present, and as many of the details as you can remember. Date and time this entry. Within the next week or so, you should request a complete copy of your employee file. Send a copy of your request by certified mail, as well as by email. They are supposed to send it to you within 30 days or they can be subject to a statutory fine. They will try to stall. It's not much, but it will show whether you have any other disciplinary issues. Plus if a few thousand employees do it, this could delay processing those PIPs, which would be such a tragedy for SM....
Better yet, go home sick. Tell them you're sick of work.
Say NOTHING!!!! Just listen and take notes... Do NOT agree to sign anything!! If, they give you something to sign, wait and have an attorney review it!!! Do NOT sign your rights away. HR is NOT your friend and only you can advocate for you, thus the need for an employment attorney...
HR is like Gestapo
Bend over buddy. HR gonna give it you long and hard. And they'll enjoy your moaning and squealing.
Better than getting fired thru email.
They do it over the phone? That is really bad form.
You have to record secretly. If you ask HR for permission they WILL tell you No. People have tried this before. don't blow it by asking. They are doing every trick to protect themselves from lawsuits.
CA is usually progressive. That is positively regressive. You should be able to record only your own voice without issue over the phone, so just repeat everything they say like a parrot! Hard to take notes in such a situation
You can ask their permission that you want to record for reference. Its business meeting are they going to say no???
That is true in CA, but if your intention is to prove wrongdoing it is legally allowed. At minimum, you could use it for the accuracy of what you document. Download a free voice recorder on your phone and secretly record your conversation with HR. Don't use the standard voice memo utility on your phone because it has a short time limit.
All-party consent: Twelve states, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington, require all parties to the conversation to consent to being taped. Hawaii, a one-party consent state, requires all-party consent if the device is installed in a private place. If you record in secret, be aware you could get in more trouble.
Yup
Ask for in-person, and secretly record the meeting. Not for legal action, but for accurate reference
Anon130865 and Anon130854 are correct. You will be given the choice between a phony PIP or the GTFO package. If you choose the PIP you will be terminated at the end with nothing because they have collected the proof you are a low performer during the PIP period. Play your cards wisely.
If I were you, I would take the layoff package, because on a phony PIP, you may not control your destiny. And if you get terminated, you'll get nothing. Just my 2 cents.
Ask for a meeting agenda. Of course with HR the agenda is always hidden
Its probably a sexual harassment issue. :) You are safe.
They'll probably want to discuss whether you want to go on a PIP or accept a layoff package. Let us know how it goes. Best of luck
sQrew'd?
You have been Q'ed