Sometimes a junior is put on a tight spot. He is given an off-policy order. He may know it is off-policy. However, if he says so or protests, he can be subjected to harassment and can be forced to obey the off-policy order. In short, he is in a tough position. So smooth ways to handle this are quite valuable.
In the first place, one must know what an illegal order really is: It is an order that is contrary to HCO Policy Letters as issued in the Org Exec Course Volumes or subsequent to them or to LRH Executive Directives or the programs in LRH evaluations or LRH direct orders in writing.
These orders and policies, in the course of decades of experience, have been proven to improve the condition of the individual and orgs. Orgs which are „on-policy“ prosper. Periods of depression provenly follow off-policy actions. Therefore it is good sense to follow policy. When people who are ignorant or destructive get into an org, issuing orders or „setting policy,“ it is quite certain that trouble will follow.
But aside from sensible considerations based purely on reason, there is safety for the junior in following policy. There is a prime policy as follows:
YOU CAN ONLY BE GIVEN A COURT OR COMM-EVED FOR THINGS THAT VIOLATE POLICY.
You cannot be comm-eved or given a court or disciplined for not following Board Policy Letters, Board Technical Bulletins, or targets or orders that violate HCO Policy Letters.
The same applies for technical terminals. THEY CAN ONLY BE DISCIPLINED OR GIVEN COURTS OR COMM EVs FOR VIOLATIONS OF HCO BULLETINS, LRH TAPES OR ISSUES.
Technical terminals cannot be given courts or Comm Evs or discipline for not following BOARD TECHNICAL BULLETINS, local technical issues or verbal tech or BOARD POLICY LETTERS.
It is very unsafe indeed to follow off-policy issues or orders as one then can be comm-eved or given a court or disciplined for it.
IT IS A TOTAL DEFENSE TO PLEAD ONE FOLLOWED CORRECTLY INTERPRETED HCO POLICY LETTERS, HCO BULLETINS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVES OR LRH ISSUES OR TAPES. All one has to do is produce the evidence.
A junior should beware of being TOLD it is „on-policy“ or „an LRH order“ or „in bulletins“ or „on LRH tapes.“ The trick is very common. It is often used to get agreement to do an order or plan. The person actually issuing the order has found that he himself has inadequate authority or popularity to get cooperation and so pretends he has „an LRH order.“ Even people off the street try this trick. The answer to this is require to see it in writing. IF IT ISN’T WRITTEN IT ISN’T TRUE. That is the safe maxim.
One CAN be disciplined or given a court or Comm Ev for following an order he was TOLD was valid as above only to find out it is NOT in policy or bulletins or actual. By taking somebody’s word for it and doing it, he is guilty of following off-policy orders.
Now you may think this is all very extraordinary. But it isn’t. It is almost commonplace for some junior to get totally tangled up in off-policy orders, fall on his head, have his stats crash and wind up in a mess. So he needs protection from this sort of thing.
This does not mean to say all seniors are bad. Far from it. But sometimes seniors go in for unworkable solutions born out of desperation and, not too well trained, resort to unusual, off-policy solutions. Also there are people around who don’t have the greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics at heart and for insane reasons try to get people in trouble and wreck the show.
It is quite common when some suppressive type gets found and disciplined that three or four actually innocent people get roped into the same scene. They didn’t realize how off-policy or destructive the SP was and were stupid enough not to know his orders were off-policy and destructive. And they took them. And there they are in the same Comm Ev. It is, as I say, common.
Now, if any one of those otherwise innocent people had simply said „No, I won’t follow the order“ to the SP or even „Let’s see the policy letter“ or „Let’s see the bulletin“ or „Let’s see it in writing first,“ the SP never could have carried decent people down with him.
Cross orders come under the same heading. It sometimes happens that there is an LRH evaluation or policy covering some definite situation and some senior will cross-order it. Evaluations which, if done, would salvage the whole scene get cross-ordered. This causes them not to be done. And the scene worsens. This has happened often.
A junior who follows a cross order is in the same position as a junior who fails to follow HCO Policy Letters or HCO Bulletins. He lays himself open to discipline. If, as often happens, an investigator arrives and finds an undone program that has been cross-ordered, he disciplines both the person who issued the cross order and anyone who followed it. So it is not safe to follow a cross order.
It is also not safe to fail to comply with a perfectly legal order or target or, worse, to falsely infer or report it is done when it isn’t.
But how about the situation of this junior who stands up and says „I can’t do it. It’s against policy.“ Or „I won’t use that verbal tech as it’s contrary to HCOBs.“ In his timid way, he could feel this was very adventurous. He could get personally harassed. The first thing he might hear is „You are using policy to stop!“ Well, if the order he is receiving is off-policy or out-tech, he very well better stop it! Otherwise, sooner or later, his own neck and those of the group will be in the noose from the pure pressure of the give and take of life.
But if one is too timid to outright refuse to comply, there are other ways. The easiest is to say „yessir“ and then just don’t do it. One can’t be hit for NOT doing it. He can only be hit for doing it. It doesn’t matter if he is told he will be hit for not doing it. He can request a Committee of Evidence and of course no one is likely to convene it because he can’t be pronounced guilty of noncomplying with an off-policy order.
But let us say it really gets rough. He doesn’t do it and the pressure comes on. He still has recourse. He can report it as an off-policy or out-tech order, complete with references, to the LRH Communicator of the org or the LRH Comm Continental at the Flag Operations Liaison Office. Meanwhile he must not comply or it puts him at risk.
If this channel produces no results, the junior has a petition line. He should look up petition policy.
If he gets hit in the meanwhile, even if he got comm-eved, he can demand an HCO Board of Review which in this case would have to cancel the whole thing.
The DANGEROUS thing to do is to comply with an off-policy or out-tech order.
But how would one, who has not studied policy or is not very far advanced in his tech training know when he was being given an off-policy or out-tech order?
1. If it seems kind of stupid it is probably off-policy or out-tech. Both tech and policy are anything but stupid. Most off-policy and out-tech orders are stupid because they are, at a glance, contrasurvival.
2. Require that one be shown in the exact issue or book what the policy or tech actually is.
3. Read it for yourself and don’t listen to any interpretation that seems far-fetched.
4. Be sure the policy or tech you are being shown applies in the matter under discussion.
5. Ignore anyone who, with no written material or tape, chants at you the dates of policies or bulletins and claims they exist. See it for yourself.
6. Be sure to complete Volume Zero of the OEC Volumes as an early action.
7. Become an OEC grad yourself.
8. Do the Data Series Evaluators Course so you can evaluate your position and get the real Why on what is going on.
9. Study LRH tech, books, tapes and issues so you know your subject.
10. Expedite valid orders.
11. Have good stats and never falsify them.
12. Keep your ethics in.
And boy will you be a howling success. nobody could touch you.
Senior: „Count those intro courses as valid Public Reg paid starts.“
Junior: „But they are supposed to be free.“
Senior: „Do what I tell you!“
Junior: „Respectfully, sir, what problem are you trying to solve?“
Senior: „Getting the stats up, of course. Listen you idiot, if we report stats as low as last week’s the FOLO will be down on us.“
Junior: „Golly, that’s bad!“
Senior: „It sure is!“
Junior: „Have you told them the finance people won’t permit us to promote because our cash/bills is out of balance?“
Senior: „Well, no.“
Junior: „Policy says we have to spend a certain percent on promotion. And if we can’t promote we can’t get people.“
Senior: „Anybody knows that! But these finance people have given me a direct order…“
Junior: „Sir, I wouldn’t accept an illegal order if I were you. Honest I wouldn’t.“
Senior: „My God, you’re right. I’ll call the FOLO at once!“
Junior: (soft voice to fellow staff member) „Well, that’s two guys I saved from a Comm Ev. Him and ME!“