Mandatory Training

Because I volunteer on the Grievance Committee, I am required to take a professional standards training course once a year. I took one in February. The Association offered the 2020 training course yesterday, so I was there. If you look at a calendar and are confused, don't worry, it isn't you. Next year's course was offered in 2019--as was the 2019 course. Incidentally, it was taught by some nationally recognized instructor who flew in from New Jersey. She told the same jokes and gave the same examples last February too.

Mock Grand Inquisitor Squad at our Working Lunch

Because I am just a peon, I didn't have to sit through two days of this training (booyah!). Kaye did because she has some higher ranking than peon. As much as I like the Grievance Committee and what we do, there is a lot of motivation never to hold a spot above Peon just so I can miss the second day of this once a year-ish training.

What I found the most interesting was the folks in the class. Apparently only Type-A's volunteer for the grievance/Grand Inquisitor positions. Most of us are in positions of leadership in our brokerages and with 16+ years under my belt, I was one of the newer agents. I'm not exaggerating about the Type-A thing either, we, the audience, had a bit of a mutiny and took a vote for a 10 minute lunch so that we could get out early.

The class was informative (the first time) and mandatory (both times). It was a nice refresher of what is required filing an ethics complaint, starting with the procedural process of filing a grievance through the Grand Inquisitor Squad hearing and resolution. In fact, we had a mock Grand Inquisitor Squad tribunal with Mr. Barney Rubble claiming his agent broke the code of ethics requirements. Kaye was one of the Inquisitor Squad panel members. And because this was the afternoon after a long day, most of the folks up there weren't exactly able to stay on the script, which made things a little more lively. However, I am told by one of the members of the actual Squad, the complainants and respondents can make the actual hearing pretty lively, so it was good practice.