Bosses can reject applicants who support rival football team to existing staff - Guardian

[Colin Bells Boots]

I have worked under two bosses who seemed to think they were A.Ferguson, quoting from his autobiographies and such like. Neither were from anywhere near Manchester, of course.
One was a tiresome cretin, the other was Ok to get along with.

Are you sure he was a rag, sounds highly unusual !

 

[mancityvstoke]

I know. I was actually at school with one in 1970 - about as far away from a London posh suburb you could get.

I was a supporter myself until 2008!!

( not true)

We all were mate .... we all were.

And we are all from Stockport. Obviously.

(chelsea in the 70's were scary fuckers)

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

What a load of shit. Just as I don't think politics (knee taking, rainbow laces etc) should invade football, football should not impact the workplace or professionalism (unless it's rimming a rags coffee mug).

 

[johnny crossan]

My wife is a retired ACAS Conciliator and I'll ask for guidance when she's had her afternoon nap.

 

[stonerblue]

I had a young lad turn up for his first day at work. Took his jacket off to reveal a rag top. Put jacket back on or go home were his choices. He went home.

 

[Blue Mist]

Let us not be judged by the colour of our shirts but the content of our character.

Rag

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Never declare who you support in an interview is my advice.

I usually say I’m more a fan of cricket.

Fuck that, it’s the first question I used to ask and the decision was then made! And I’d rather employ a rag than one of those twats insisting they don’t like football

 

[Bill Walker]

Bosses can reject applicants who support rival football team to existing staff, judge says — The Guardian

Maintaining ‘office harmony’ a valid factor in recruitment decisions, employment tribunal in London rules

apple.news

Seems a bit OTT to me - we have a mixture of City, United and other fans at work but other than a bit of banter it’s fine. What are others’ experiences?

Agree with you mate.
I've worked with United and Liverpool fans when I lived in England and it was always good humoured banter. Never got serious.
In fact the biggest (actually he was little, but muscular) twat I've known was when I went to Hyde college, he was an avid City fan!
Always trying to wind people up about absolutely anything and when you gave him some back he tried to make it physical as he was pretty tough, he threw a wooden tee square at me once, teacher threw him out of class, he said he would wait for me outside, but he didn't....in the end other students just ignored him.

 

[RadcliffeRick]

What if it's a glory hunter.
African lad at ours came as a Chelsea fan,now is a city fan.

We were all Chelsea fans prior to 2008!!

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Bosses can reject applicants who support rival football team to existing staff, judge says — The Guardian

Maintaining ‘office harmony’ a valid factor in recruitment decisions, employment tribunal in London rules

apple.news

Seems a bit OTT to me - we have a mixture of City, United and other fans at work but other than a bit of banter it’s fine. What are others’ experiences?

Depends who you've got to work with.



But seriously, I can't see how this isn't just a green light to discrimination. A working class kid goes for a job in a posh office and is turned down because he didn't 'vibe' with the privately-schooled interviewer.

 

[KS55]

I’m more of a ruggah fan…..
League or Union?
Oh, Union of course.
Fuck off then.

 

[Blue Mist]

Fuck that, it’s the first question I used to ask and the decision was then made! And I’d rather employ a rag than one of those twats insisting they don’t like football

Rag

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Fuck that, it’s the first question I used to ask and the decision was then made! And I’d rather employ a rag than one of those twats insisting they don’t like football

It rarely comes up as a question in my experience but if it does I find it best to not go too heavy on who I support. I have to be diplomatic in my job to get the best out of others so I start that at the interview stage.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I would have thought that, at the interview stage, it would be inappropriate, if not illegal, to ask that question. And if the candidate, not having been asked, volunteered it, I'd also find it pretty strange if I were the interviewer.
And if you can't deal with some “rudeness” at work — well, basically, you can't work.

 

[remember arthur mann]

Rightly so. Next thing you know they'll be hacking your computer accounts.

 

[chaddblue]

I know someone who already does that..unofficially of course

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

I worked with one lad who lived in Manchester and had to drive over to Leeds for a job interview. When he got there, the boss said 'Are you red or blue?' and he replied blue and got the job - that was it. No questions about experience, skill etc!! To be fair on a contract if you're no good they can bin you for any reason but even still it's a great interview ha ha!

I've always enjoyed working in mixed-club offices. I'd rather be the only City fan in an office with 10 Scousers and 10 United fans than work with 20 joyless people who don't like football or any kind of sport. Nothing better than having some good banter with people!!

I've always find that you bond quicker and form better teams with people who have shared interests.

 

[Eaststander1]

Ridiculous..... every job or workplace I've ever had since I started work back in 1972 has had a mixture of football fans working there .... I've worked with Liverpool, Everton, Sheff Weds, Carlisle, Oldham, City, United, Burnley, Blackburn, Stockport, and Blackpool fans over the years, and those are just the ones I can remember ..... i even had one warehouse job about a quarter of a mile from Old Trafford and half the staff were City fans !

 

[bluetonium]

The advantage of employing united fans, is that they rarely ask for time off midweek. They don't need a few days off because they're heading to Spain or Italy for a game.

Honestly, seems a crazy idea. Of all the people I've worked with over the years, the only ones I've even come close to having an issue with are Liverpool fans. We had three of them in the same department a decade or so back, and it was like smug central. Walk past their door and the clangers on speed were inside, busy chatting so much shit about other teams they arguably didn't do any actual work.

You have to mix with different people to get different perspectives. Like skills, ideas and points of view are different person to person, depending on who they are and what they've experienced. Our place decided to show the whole world that management 'cant be racist because look at me I hired this minority guy' a few years back, and the recruitment policy unofficially became very weighted against whites. But it was the same result, a few of those noobies are still there and are decent people, muck in and are pretty interesting people. A few left, and one guy was a bad egg and left within 6 months after being fully trained up, for a major competitor, claiming inequality. Management were baffled, until they were reminded that it was them that made it all about race in the first place. But the fact is that the decent people were still decent regardless of their ethnicity, they know how to get on and were open to give and take in a new environment. The bad egg moved on again from his next job, because he's a bad egg and has a different mindset, open to conflict, in fact actively looking for it, in the workplace.

I just love the fact now too that so many of the rags at our place are no longer football fans. A few drifted to other clubs a few years back, Chelsea, Bolton, Macc, even Stoke, before kicking it into touch completely as an act of self preservation. Then all of a sudden they're slightly interested again in footy when city lose. I ask if they've been to any games recently, and they sigh and walk away knowing that they're starting a battle without even bringing a butter knife to the fight.

Office harmony is important. But if you're forcing that via a recruitment process based on your own preconceptions, especially on a larger environment, then you're missing the point. It doesn't come from all having a shared interest, it comes from being responsible and open, without being a tit. It doesn't always work, but you do your bit, and when it doesn't work it's invariably because someone was a tit or just can't accept another point of view, such a Liverpool aren't the 'joint best' team of the last decade. Only have to look on here to see instances of some blues attacking other blues just because their panties are pinching too tight that morning or someone doesn't agree completely with their own point.

 

[Blue Mist]

Just a thought but do you think Ric asked the would be Mods who they supported before appointing them ?