Disclaimer

You have probably noticed this disclaimer a couple of times now:

Disclaimer – The views expressed here are the opinions of DeShawn Smith and do not necessarily reflect the views of Employer Solutions Group or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My employer requires that when I mention that I am employed by the LDS Church, that this disclaimer is added to my blog entry.

It’s a small price to pay for such a great job and such a great work environment.

A lot of people have had questions for me about my current employment, and I have noticed that a lot of people have the same questions, so I thought I would answer your questions here:

Q:  Who is your employer?

A:  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (a.k.a. the LDS Church, or more informally, the Mormon church) has two corporations, one of which is called the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  If I were a regular, full-time employee, I would be employed by this corporation, however, the LDS Church currently has a hiring freeze in place, so I am employed by Employer Solutions Group as a contract employee.  I’m hoping that this hiring freeze thaws and I will be hired on as a full-time employee of the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop.

Q:  Do you have to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to work where you do?

A:  Yes.  I have to be a member in good standing.  Were I to somehow become disillusioned with the LDS Church, I would not only be leaving the Church, but I would also be leaving Church employment.  Were I to do something stupid that would cause me to no longer be in good standing (we’re talking stupid as in pretty serious sinful behavior like, say, adultery), I wouldn’t automatically lose my job, but my employer would discuss my standing with my local ecclesiastical leaders, and based on the path I was taking (Am I working towards getting myself back in good standing with the Lord?) I could be allowed to continue my employment with the Church.

Q:  But wait…  Isn’t requiring membership in the LDS Church for employment against some sort of governmental Equal Employment Opportunity something-or-other?

A:  Actually, no.  According to the EEOC web site:

Under Title VII, religious organizations are permitted to give employment preference to members of their own religion. The exception applies only to those institutions whose “purpose and character are primarily religious.” That determination is to be based on “[a]ll significant religious and secular characteristics.” Although no one factor is dispositive, significant factors to consider that would indicate whether an entity is religious include:

• Do its articles of incorporation state a religious purpose?
• Are its day-to-day operations religious (e.g., are the services the entity performs, the product it produces, or the educational curriculum it provides directed toward propagation of the religion)?
• Is it not-for-profit?
• Is it affiliated with or supported by a church or other religious organization?

Q:  Where do you work?

A:  I work in the new Riverton Office Building (ROB).  Up until late last year, a lot of the Church’s technical employees worked in the North Office Building in downtown Salt Lake City.  The thought of that commute gave me the screaming heebie-jeebies.  The Riverton Office Building is about about 25 miles from my home.  The commute is about a half hour each way, and I have joined a carpool with three others in my neighborhood, so I only have to drive to work one week a month.

Q:  Don’t you get tired of wearing a white shirt and tie to work every day?

A:  No, because I don’t have to wear a white shirt and tie to work.  The dress standard for the ROB is business casual.  If I were to go to a meeting at the Church Office Building (COB) downtown, I would need to wear a white shirt and tie AND a suit coat.  Hopefully, I won’t need to go to the COB until I lose 10 or 15 more pounds, because I don’t really fit into any of my suits at this time.

Q:  Did you have to take a pretty hefty pay cut to work for the LDS Church?

A:  My pay is actually pretty competitive.  The compensation philosophy of LDS Church employment is as follows:

In addition to being a great spiritual experience, Church employment also has monetary benefits. Church compensation systems are designed to reflect comparable pay levels in the relevant labor market, while acknowledging a measure of consecration.

Q:  What are you working on?

A:  Every six months, the LDS Church holds their General Conference in which the leaders of the LDS Church speak to the Church and to the world, giving counsel, direction, and spiritual guidance that is needed in today’s world.  The conference is held over two days and is comprised of five two-hour broadcasts.  These broadcasts are interpreted live in dozens of languages.  Following the broadcast, transcripts of the conference are printed in LDS Church magazines, are published to the web, and are printed in booklets that are sent to areas that could not receive the broadcast.  I am working on systems that will be used for storage, revision, translation, and publication of these conferences.  Our goal is to have the transcripts of these conferences in a publishable format within 7 days after the broadcast in all of the languages into which conference is translated.

If you have any other questions you would like to have answered, post them in a comment.

Disclaimer – The views expressed here are the opinions of DeShawn Smith and do not necessarily reflect the views of Employer Solutions Group or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.