Habush Habush and Rottier

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Rumors of the Blacklist

The Blacklist. It hangs over everyone who gets kicked from leaves Epic, but nobody knows what it entails--including me. We've all heard rumors though, and here's the compilation of those. Feel free to chime in with anything you've heard.

-Banned from Epic campus--means no UGM, no more certifications, no more increasingly expensive and decreasingly tasty lunches.


-Epic won't take your phone calls when you're working at a customer site.


-When Epic is on-site, you can't attend meetings where Epic personnel are involved.


-Can't get a job at any of several major companies/recruiting firms.


-Can't renew certifications--no NVTs.

-submission from a reader: "I was told by a TL that Judy will personally call the CEO of firm you are applying to and ask him to not hire you."

Again, none of this is substantiated by anything. It's all just hearsay. I'll correct it and add to it as information comes my way.

20 comments:

  1. "gets kicked". do you mean fired? i thought you were ok after the one year non-compete ended?

    - worried guy whose one year non-compete is ending.

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  2. Poor phrasing--I mean anyone who leaves Epic for any reason. And you should be fine if you don't do anything until your non-compete expires.

    Incidentally, do you have a position lined up? I know some people who are looking--send another comment with your contact info and I'll have them reach you. (I won't publish the comment.) They found me a position almost immediately after my non-compete.

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  3. Do all positions in Epic gain certification? I received an offer for Quality Assurance/Software Tester and do not want to be left without an exit strategy as your blog details

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    1. The only positions that don't, to my knowledge, are Culinary and Facilities/Maintenance. If you're in a software position, you'll get certified in something.

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  4. I have a follow-up question to the above comment. I am in the process of interviewing for a QA/Software Tester position and am worried about the non-compete agreements after leaving Epic. Does the non-compete/non-hire apply to QA'ers as well or only developers/consultants? Any more insignts into a QA'er work life? Much appreciated.

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    1. As far as I know, the non-compete is for everyone. I don't know much about the QAer role, but hopefully another reader can offer advice.

      I do know that they get pretty good at build, and obviously they do a lot of testing, which would make them good candidates for extra staffing during upgrades or major SU packages.

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  5. Do you know if you're allowed to look for and apply to jobs during the non compete as long as you don't start working until after the full year? Thanks!

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    1. Oh yeah--you can look for and apply for work while you're still at Epic, before your last day. They have no way of knowing when your job hunt begins, and to my knowledge Epic doesn't keep an HR roster of their clients' employees. Hypothetically, if you get a job with a title of Food Services, but you work in a cubicle next to IT people, Epic wouldn't know you were there, and as long as you didn't email Epic directly to get Userweb access for your Food Services role, you'd be fine.

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  6. There is definitely an Epic "blacklist." I have been offered assignments and then had them revoked after the client spoke with Epic. I am not a former Epic employee, but have consulted with Epic clients. Epic didn't like our strategy at one client site and, as a result, blacklisted me - even though I have written letters of reference from the client.

    Can you say "lawsuit?"

    Anyone experiencing the same thing, post here.

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    Replies
    1. I worked for an Epic customer as an AC, not for Epic. I was there for nearly 2 years, and left a couple months after go-live day. I wasn't happy there and resigned when I felt things had calmed down enough post-live. I recently applied for a consultant position with one of the major consulting firms, and was told they wouldn't work with me because I didn't stay with that customer for 90 days post go-live. I never worked for Epic, never signed anything with them, so this is baffling to me to say the least. It would be nice to be informed of the "90 Day" rule, I never was.

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    2. I've just submitted a comment to this site - but just in case it doesn't make it, let me also confirm to you that I was told by a recruiter that there definitely IS a blacklist. I'm sure I'm on it (although it took me some time to figure it out). My crime was to tell them they were a VENDOR and could not dictate the way we chose to implement.

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  7. I was told point-blank by a recruiting firm today - that Epic refuses to provide access to their website for anyone they feel doesn't "play nicely" with their company. This includes former employees, employees of client hospitals, etc. I stayed through a complete implementation, including post go-live and left of my own accord sometime after that. While I was at the hospital, however, I had issues with Epic dictating how we would implement.... stating that they were, after all, a VENDOR - not the hospital administration. When I used the word VENDOR, you would have thought I called them a filthy word. There is DEFINITELY a blacklist, and I have it straight from one of the horse's mouths.

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    Replies
    1. I've had my resume submitted to a client for specific contracts through a few different recruiting firms. A couple recruiters I never hear back from, even after attempting professional and polite communication to them. But I've also not received anything from some place stating they won't work with me. So - how might one find out if they are blacklisted? What do you do if you *are* blacklisted?

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    2. On the Epic webpage there is a "Third Party" section that has a link to a Consultant Inquiries email address. Send an email and someone will get back to you, though it may take a few days. They won't tell you anything over email (like if you're blacklisted), so provide a phone number for them to call you. That's how I was able to confirm.

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  8. Has anyone had Epic refuse to grant UserWeb access/NVT taking? If so, were you able to get past this? Did Epic tell you why they would not grant access or just ignore your requests?

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  9. Do you know you're on the blacklist before applying to places? Or is it just that you start not hearing back from places?

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  10. What I find interesting here is that it seems to reach further than just former EPIC employees and extend towards those they have "tested" and certified in their software. Isn't there a law against someone giving "bad" information regarding future employment with someone? As a hiring manager, I've never turned to EPIC to get any input on who I hire or fire but I certainly would be curious to know WHY EPIC would try to stand in the way of my judgement on who I deem to be an employee.

    Just my 2 cents!

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  12. Can you apply with Epic customers as an analyst before your non compete expires? Say three months out, and then tell them you can't start for three months? Or will that get you blacklisted as well?

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    Replies
    1. Absolutely, and I encourage it. Most consulting firms I've talked do (admittedly, not very many) would not even start looking for a position for me until my non compete was up. You may have better luck with the actual Epic customers.

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