I’ve started second guessing myself about a long standing personal conviction. To phrase it as an aphorism, if you’re going North and you find out you’re going the wrong way, you don’t necessarily go South. I know it’s not going to turn up on any samplers or crime scene TV dialog, but it has worked well for me and saved me from a few blunders.
I’ve started to question myself because of a wrok related argument. In the past, most if not all hiring decisions have been made based on seniority. This policy gave rise to a consistent pattern of very poor choices. After some changes, the new policy is, in effect: All other considerations being equal, hiring decisions will be made based on seniority.
There are two qualified people up for an important position, on eo f whom (call 'em person A) would be chosen based on seniority alone. All other considerations are NOT equal. My, by now too well known (@work), opinion is that Person B should not be chosen simply because seniority is not the sole consideration.
My opinion is not a popular one. I do not stand on a soap box in the parking lot proclaiming it nor do I offer my views unless someone accosts me and brings up the topic. People I have talked to are very offended by my thinking (if it can be called that).
I have to wonder… Am I using specious logic? Is it bad form to use logic in analyzing opinions? …in forming opinions? …in defending a position? Would I be better off just saying, I’m glad I’m not the one who has to choose between two highly qualified assests to our company!?
What kind of logic are you using, anyway? The above statement is senseless! :rolleyes:
Try to explain it simply to youself and then post the analysis.
Usually the most qualifed person is selected because he has the qualifications.
Seniority comes into play in the case of two equally matched or nearly so candidates then the senior employee get the job.
Right.
Where I work, in the past, decisions have been made based only on seniority. Even in cases where actual hours of seniority were very close.
More recently, there has been a push to make hiring and scheduling decisions more or less merit based.
My point is that decisions should not, now, simply be the opposite of the decisions we WOULD have made based on seniority alone.
That said, I think lack of response is the best answer I could have gotten.
Not sure what your struggle was with the issue. It seems you know what the right thing to do is and what upper management would prefer to see.
You’ll have to make the case for the proper hire based on all the qualifications and then use seniority as a tie-breaker, if necessary.