COVID update
Public discourse over the government’s decision to delay the reopening of indoor restaurant/bar service has been heating up. Ireland is the only country left in the EU where indoor dining is categorically not allowed (the only exception is that hotel guests may dine indoors at on-site restaurants). Unlike some other EU countries, Ireland has not developed “corona passes” for entry into indoor dining/bars. COVID antigen testing is also more widely available in other EU countries and largely provided free of charge. Ireland still relies almost exclusively on PCR tests. The Irish hospitality industry is furious with the government for how it is handling the situation. During a radio talk show on RTÉ this afternoon, one Irish restaurant owner called in and said they would be opening on Monday July 5 as previously planned in violation of the government’s new guidelines. While it doesn’t sounds like there will be widespread protests or non-compliance, it’s certainly a possibility.
According to news reports, the Delta variant now accounts for 70% of all new cases in Ireland and is expected to reach 100% in coming weeks. The rate of new COVID infections is increasing at the rate of 2% per day, with the R number between 1.0 and 1.2. The number of daily new cases in Ireland being reported today is over 500, the first time since late March / early April. Meanwhile, the rollout of mRNA vaccines is continuing as fast as possible, with those aged 34 and older currently being offered appointments. The government has also announced that the J&J vaccine will be made available starting next week to those aged 18-34 through pharmacies, although supplies are still limited. Yesterday Ireland passed the grim milestone of 5,000 deaths from COVID-19, which pales in comparison to other countries in terms of absolute numbers but is still a significant percentage of the country’s total population of 4.9 million.
Job update
My back-and-forth with University College Dublin continues over the hiring manager’s request that I provide an additional reference from a specific position at the University of California. On Wednesday when my initial push back based on timing concerns was brushed aside, I asked the recruiter from HR to confirm if the offer was conditional upon the reference, and if so, would it be possible for me to have a conversation with the hiring manager. I did not hear anything back yesterday, and then today the recruiter sent another email that did not answer my question directly but reiterated the request for the reference. I responded by asking the recruiter to give me a call, which she did shortly thereafter. I had prepared some notes in advance on how to explain the context of why I resigned from that position, i.e., the boundaries between professional and personal relations were blurred, my supervisor did not set goals based on objective criteria, and I didn’t receive specific and timely feedback that would support my success there. I tried to focus on the positive by emphasizing that these elements are important to me, and I did not go into details about filing a bullying complaint against my former boss. The recruiter seemed empathetic and once again said she would convey this information to the hiring manager. She agreed that the best way forward would be for me to have a conversation with the hiring manager, and so she would pass along my phone number to him and, if possible, try to give me a timeframe for when he would call. At this point it’s after 5:00pm local time, so I suppose this will continue into next week.
During my call with the recruiter, I took the opportunity to ask her more about how professional references work in Ireland, given that the hiring manager’s insistence on receiving the additional reference seems very heavy handed to me. The recruiter confirmed my suspicions that professional references still carry a lot of weight in Ireland, whereas in the U.S. they have been more and more de-emphasised due to privacy and liability concerns. I have never had an employer request (let alone require) me to provide a reference for a specific job — usually it’s always up to the applicant to decide which references they choose to provide. My personal opinion is that professional references should NOT be given such importance, because this practice can perpetuate bias, discrimination and inequities. Just as with my situation, I don’t think people should be disadvantaged if they have experienced a bad boss or a hostile work environment in their past.
By serendipitous chance, the last section of my CMA study programme covers professional ethics. Reading about professional ethics, morality, integrity, and fairness helped calm my nerves about the UCD situation. All I can do is stick to my principles and values. If the hiring manager doesn’t want to give me a fair chance to explain why I won’t provide the reference he wants, then I don’t want to work for him. Life is too short to put up with such B.S.
Until next time….
