That colleague is becoming a mason

[timmyaustin]

I'm female and work in public sector. My line manager is a senior mason and now my colleague (who is same grade as me) is also becoming a mason. It's not really public knowledge I was just made aware of it and asked my colleague directly if he was also planning on becoming a mason. My issue is that my line manager has previously lied to me about something un work related to protect my other colleagues (the one who is becoming a mason) interests so if I were up for promotion against my colleague I would feel strongly that my line manager shouldn't be on interview panel due to a conflict of interest. I feel quite threatened by this dynamic. AIBU?

No way. YANBU. There's no way he could behave objectively when one of his own' is involved. Bloody shady dealing dicks. How bloody unfair!!!

Its going to lead to issues. It would interesting to see if anyone can do something though. As its an outside of work activity.

Obviously it will impact work. But proving it is a different matter.

The Freemasons say that networking and using their position to gain something is forbidden but surely this still happens? I told my colleague what I thought on the matter and told him as a woman, I find it quite threatening. He disagreed and said it's like being a member of any other club...
Bit worried he's going to say something to my line manager about what I said and it's going to get weird!

Can you liaise with your HR and have it listed as a potential conflict of interest?

I thought that was the whole point of the masons - to make connections to ease your way up the slippery pole at the expense of females everyone else.

There are several masons that I definitely know of. Almost all of them have got their positions through networking with other masons. But it's like any other form networking - all they can do is give the introduction. At work I presume your line manager would be part panel interviews for the new role, so varied perspectives should be taken. If you left and put down he and person x are masons which is why he gave x the job, he could be sacked for it (some companies have policies that ban membership to masons and other secret societies).

It will get weird unfortunately. I strongly suspect a colleague of mine is a Freemason. he is weird.

@AgentProvocateur
Exactly how I feel. If you read their blurb though, apparently not? I'm just concerned that now I've expressed my concern that things are going to be made difficult for me.

The networking still happens. There is a strong Mason community in the town where I work, and I deal with them regularly. They give work to each other and do each other favours all of the time.

In all reality there is nothing you can do, how do you know that people in more senior positions are not masons. It's likely that your complaint will "disappear"

No YANBU but there is little you can do until a situation arises in which you think there might be potential for discrimination; and you raise it at that time. Meanwhile what they choose to do in their own time is their business.