publicdata/ssa-gov
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull requests Projects Releases Packages Wiki Activity Actions
ssa-gov/www.ssa.gov/history/guide.html

143 lines
No EOL
20 KiB
HTML
Raw Permalink Blame History

<!doctype html>
<html class="no-js" lang="en">
<head>
<!-- REQUIRED META INFORMATION -->
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" />
<!-- DOCUMENT TITLE -->
<title>Social Security History</title>
<!-- META INFORMATION -->
<meta name="dc.creator" content="" />
<meta name="lead_content_manager" content="" />
<meta name="coder" content="" />
<!-- FRAMEWORK STYLES & SCRIPTS -->
<link href="/framework/css/phoenix.css" rel="stylesheet" media="all" />
<!-- SSA INTERNET HEAD SCRIPTS -->
<script src="/framework/js/ssa.internet.head.js"></script>
<!-- CUSTOM STYLES & SCRIPTS -->
<!-- <link href="your.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" media="all" /> -->
<!-- <script src="your.js"></script> -->
<script>(window.BOOMR_mq=window.BOOMR_mq||[]).push(["addVar",{"rua.upush":"false","rua.cpush":"false","rua.upre":"false","rua.cpre":"false","rua.uprl":"false","rua.cprl":"false","rua.cprf":"false","rua.trans":"","rua.cook":"false","rua.ims":"false","rua.ufprl":"false","rua.cfprl":"false","rua.isuxp":"false","rua.texp":"norulematch","rua.ceh":"false","rua.ueh":"false","rua.ieh.st":"0"}]);</script>
<script>!function(e){var n="https://s.go-mpulse.net/boomerang/";if("False"=="True")e.BOOMR_config=e.BOOMR_config||{},e.BOOMR_config.PageParams=e.BOOMR_config.PageParams||{},e.BOOMR_config.PageParams.pci=!0,n="https://s2.go-mpulse.net/boomerang/";if(window.BOOMR_API_key="LERZW-HECFS-R8H4E-23UQ7-ERMQB",function(){function e(){if(!o){var e=document.createElement("script");e.id="boomr-scr-as",e.src=window.BOOMR.url,e.async=!0,i.parentNode.appendChild(e),o=!0}}function t(e){o=!0;var n,t,a,r,d=document,O=window;if(window.BOOMR.snippetMethod=e?"if":"i",t=function(e,n){var t=d.createElement("script");t.id=n||"boomr-if-as",t.src=window.BOOMR.url,BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),e=e||d.body,e.appendChild(t)},!window.addEventListener&&window.attachEvent&&navigator.userAgent.match(/MSIE [67]\./))return window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="s",void t(i.parentNode,"boomr-async");a=document.createElement("IFRAME"),a.src="about:blank",a.title="",a.role="presentation",a.loading="eager",r=(a.frameElement||a).style,r.width=0,r.height=0,r.border=0,r.display="none",i.parentNode.appendChild(a);try{O=a.contentWindow,d=O.document.open()}catch(_){n=document.domain,a.src="javascript:var d=document.open();d.domain='"+n+"';void(0);",O=a.contentWindow,d=O.document.open()}if(n)d._boomrl=function(){this.domain=n,t()},d.write("<bo"+"dy onload='document._boomrl();'>");else if(O._boomrl=function(){t()},O.addEventListener)O.addEventListener("load",O._boomrl,!1);else if(O.attachEvent)O.attachEvent("onload",O._boomrl);d.close()}function a(e){window.BOOMR_onload=e&&e.timeStamp||(new Date).getTime()}if(!window.BOOMR||!window.BOOMR.version&&!window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted){window.BOOMR=window.BOOMR||{},window.BOOMR.snippetStart=(new Date).getTime(),window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted=!0,window.BOOMR.snippetVersion=12,window.BOOMR.url=n+"LERZW-HECFS-R8H4E-23UQ7-ERMQB";var i=document.currentScript||document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],o=!1,r=document.createElement("link");if(r.relList&&"function"==typeof r.relList.supports&&r.relList.supports("preload")&&"as"in r)window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="p",r.href=window.BOOMR.url,r.rel="preload",r.as="script",r.addEventListener("load",e),r.addEventListener("error",function(){t(!0)}),setTimeout(function(){if(!o)t(!0)},3e3),BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),i.parentNode.appendChild(r);else t(!1);if(window.addEventListener)window.addEventListener("load",a,!1);else if(window.attachEvent)window.attachEvent("onload",a)}}(),"".length>0)if(e&&"performance"in e&&e.performance&&"function"==typeof e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize)e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize();!function(){if(BOOMR=e.BOOMR||{},BOOMR.plugins=BOOMR.plugins||{},!BOOMR.plugins.AK){var n=""=="true"?1:0,t="",a="vht6pfix22vgcz6v63da-f-b96f1613e-clientnsv4-s.akamaihd.net",i="false"=="true"?2:1,o={"ak.v":"39","ak.cp":"1204614","ak.ai":parseInt("728289",10),"ak.ol":"0","ak.cr":3,"ak.ipv":4,"ak.proto":"http/1.1","ak.rid":"6d1835","ak.r":35636,"ak.a2":n,"ak.m":"dsca","ak.n":"essl","ak.bpcip":"169.231.231.0","ak.cport":47726,"ak.gh":"23.214.170.79","ak.quicv":"","ak.tlsv":"tls1.3","ak.0rtt":"","ak.0rtt.ed":"","ak.csrc":"-","ak.acc":"bbr","ak.t":"1742075590","ak.ak":"hOBiQwZUYzCg5VSAfCLimQ==feQqjaOriCDzFdwtLL+QidjkQSDx5osVA+fxXs9Agfn5M2SjHOMXhyhVlUzRClt4wtYVw0fCkWH6osvVhG7w8mZTxgbWNGLHdtUJSEtORlI+iAeLvLYXaiQHHHo3HNw6c/Kan3OdbXIaLwej5lK11DVLyddAbs1qij1yLPvmjRCjHGNXFlF/R4/XXR/6vj35BKbnZWGEzOEQprK54XwW5rgMZDOPK2jns1mJqIeFD6xx3ZOqLmcT96eWlkC3gYV+ySGuzec22X92AutfDCoLzB9BZNXyOmszuaeJRPm85/Zg1vTFXFD0hl/KS/VMXwG5MQtv8xp5V48pDvIEZ5DI7o8d9WNE9jJjiTIpmXz8B9j4RumM2t0uRqeR+kFLI4gA03XdA5eZO0AGV5PUww+KU2tuCJfmJJDVAfl6cYbd0is=","ak.pv":"98","ak.dpoabenc":"","ak.tf":i};if(""!==t)o["ak.ruds"]=t;var r={i:!1,av:function(n){var t="http.initiator";if(n&&(!n[t]||"spa_hard"===n[t]))o["ak.feo"]=void 0!==e.aFeoApplied?1:0,BOOMR.addVar(o)},rv:function(){var e=["ak.bpcip","ak.cport","ak.cr","ak.csrc","ak.gh","ak.ipv","ak.m","ak.n","ak.ol","ak.proto","ak.quicv","ak.tlsv","ak.0rtt","ak.0rtt.ed","ak.r","ak.acc","ak.t","ak.tf"];BOOMR.removeVar(e)}};BOOMR.plugins.AK={akVars:o,akDNSPreFetchDomain:a,init:function(){if(!r.i){var e=BOOMR.subscribe;e("before_beacon",r.av,null,null),e("onbeacon",r.rv,null,null),r.i=!0}return this},is_complete:function(){return!0}}}}()}(window);</script></head>
<body>
<!-- PAGE CONTAINER -->
<div id="page">
<!-- BANNER -->
<div class="bg-dark-gray accessibility" id="accessibility"><a id="skip-navigation" href="#content">Skip to main content</a></div><ssa-header class="print-hide"><noscript><header class="banner-neo" id="banner" role="banner" style="background-color: #0b4778;"><div class="banner-wrapper"><h1 class="banner-logo"><a class="banner-logo__link" href="/">Social Security</a></h1><nav class="banner-nav" id="banner-nav"><a class="banner-nav__link banner-search" href="https://search.ssa.gov/search?affiliate=ssa" title="Search" target="_blank"><svg class="banner-nav__icon" focusable="false" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M 10 23 C 11.219 23 12.384 22.762 13.496 22.285 C 14.608 21.808 15.565 21.169 16.367 20.367 C 17.169 19.565 17.808 18.608 18.285 17.496 C 18.762 16.384 19 15.219 19 14 C 19 12.953 18.829 11.951 18.488 10.992 C 18.147 10.033 17.661 9.164 17.031 8.383 L 22.711 2.711 C 22.904 2.518 23 2.281 23 2 C 23 1.713 22.905 1.475 22.715 1.285 C 22.525 1.095 22.287 1 22 1 C 21.719 1 21.482 1.096 21.289 1.289 L 15.617 6.969 C 14.836 6.339 13.966 5.853 13.008 5.512 C 12.05 5.171 11.047 5 10 5 C 8.781 5 7.616 5.238 6.504 5.715 C 5.392 6.192 4.435 6.831 3.633 7.633 C 2.831 8.435 2.192 9.392 1.715 10.504 C 1.238 11.616 1 12.781 1 14 C 1 15.219 1.238 16.384 1.715 17.496 C 2.192 18.608 2.831 19.565 3.633 20.367 C 4.435 21.169 5.392 21.808 6.504 22.285 C 7.616 22.762 8.781 23 10 23 Z M 10 21 C 9.052 21 8.146 20.815 7.281 20.445 C 6.416 20.075 5.672 19.578 5.047 18.953 C 4.422 18.328 3.925 17.584 3.555 16.719 C 3.185 15.854 3 14.948 3 14 C 3 13.052 3.185 12.146 3.555 11.281 C 3.925 10.416 4.422 9.672 5.047 9.047 C 5.672 8.422 6.416 7.925 7.281 7.555 C 8.146 7.185 9.052 7 10 7 C 10.948 7 11.854 7.185 12.719 7.555 C 13.584 7.925 14.328 8.422 14.953 9.047 C 15.578 9.672 16.075 10.416 16.445 11.281 C 16.815 12.146 17 13.052 17 14 C 17 14.948 16.815 15.854 16.445 16.719 C 16.075 17.584 15.578 18.328 14.953 18.953 C 14.328 19.578 13.584 20.075 12.719 20.445 C 11.854 20.815 10.948 21 10 21 Z" transform="matrix(-1, 0, 0, -1, 24.000001, 24.000001)" vector-effect="non-scaling-stroke"></path></svg> <span>Search</span> </a><a class="banner-nav__link banner-menu" href="/menu" id="ssa-menu" title="Menu"><svg class="banner-nav__icon" focusable="false" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M3 5h18q.414 0 .707.293T22 6t-.293.707T21 7H3q-.414 0-.707-.293T2 6t.293-.707T3 5zm0 12h18q.414 0 .707.293T22 18t-.293.707T21 19H3q-.414 0-.707-.293T2 18t.293-.707T3 17zm0-6h18q.414 0 .707.293T22 12t-.293.707T21 13H3q-.414 0-.707-.293T2 12t.293-.707T3 11z" vector-effect="non-scaling-stroke"></path></svg> <span>Menu</span> </a><a class="banner-nav__link banner-languages" href="/es" id="ssa-languages" title="Español" hreflang="es"><svg class="banner-nav__icon" focusable="false" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M12 0C5.373 0 0 5.373 0 12s5.373 12 12 12c.812 0 1.604-.08 2.37-.235-.31-.147-.343-1.255-.037-1.887.34-.703 1.406-2.485.35-3.08-1.053-.6-.76-.868-1.405-1.56-.644-.692-.38-.796-.422-.974-.14-.61.62-1.523.656-1.616.035-.094.035-.446.023-.55-.012-.107-.48-.387-.597-.4-.117-.01-.176.188-.34.2-.164.012-.88-.433-1.03-.55-.154-.117-.224-.398-.435-.61-.21-.212-.235-.047-.562-.175-.327-.13-1.382-.516-2.19-.844-.81-.33-.88-.79-.892-1.114-.012-.325-.492-.797-.718-1.137-.225-.342-.267-.81-.348-.705-.082.106.422 1.336.34 1.37-.083.037-.26-.338-.493-.643-.235-.304.245-.14-.505-1.617-.75-1.476.235-2.23.282-3 .048-.77.633.28.328-.21-.304-.493.023-1.524-.21-1.9-.235-.374-1.57.423-1.57.423.034-.363 1.17-.985 1.99-1.56.82-.573 1.322-.128 1.982.083.66.21.703.142.48-.07-.222-.21.094-.316.61-.235.516.082.656.704 1.442.645.784-.06.08.152.186.35.105.2-.117.177-.633.53-.516.35.012.35.926 1.02.913.667.632-.447.538-.94-.094-.49.668-.105.668-.105.563.375.46.02.87.15.408.13 1.52 1.07 1.52 1.07-1.395.762-.516.844-.282 1.02.235.175-.48.515-.48.515-.294-.293-.34.012-.528.117-.187.105-.012.375-.012.375-.97.153-.75 1.173-.738 1.418.012.247-.62.622-.786.973-.164.35.423 1.113.117 1.16-.305.048-.61-1.148-2.25-.703-.495.134-1.593.703-1.008 1.863.585 1.16 1.558-.328 1.886-.164.33.163-.093.902-.023.913.07.012.927.033.974 1.032.048 1 1.3.914 1.57.938.27.023 1.173-.74 1.3-.774.13-.035.646-.47 1.77.175 1.126.644 1.7.55 2.086.82.387.27.117.81.48.985.365.176 1.818-.058 2.18.54.364.597-1.5 3.597-2.085 3.925-.586.328-.856 1.078-1.442 1.558-.69.563-1.418 1.076-2.18 1.535-.684.407-.807 1.137-1.112 1.367C19.984 22.52 24 17.73 24 12c0-6.627-5.373-12-12-12zm2.813 11.262c-.165.047-.504.352-1.336-.14-.832-.494-1.406-.4-1.477-.48 0 0-.07-.2.293-.236.747-.072 1.688.692 1.9.704.21.012.315-.21.69-.09.375.12.094.195-.07.242zM10.887 1.196c-.082-.06.068-.128.157-.246.05-.07.013-.182.078-.246.175-.177 1.043-.423.874.058-.17.48-.98.527-1.11.434zm2.098 1.523c-.293-.013-.983-.086-.856-.212.494-.492-.188-.633-.61-.668-.423-.036-.598-.27-.388-.294.21-.024 1.055.013 1.196.13.14.117.902.422.95.644.047.223 0 .41-.293.4zm2.542-.083c-.234.188-1.413-.673-1.64-.867-.985-.844-1.513-.563-1.72-.703-.206-.142-.132-.33.184-.61.318-.282 1.21.094 1.724.152.516.058 1.113.457 1.125.93.01.474.562.91.327 1.097z" vector-effect="non-scaling-stroke"></path></svg> <span>Español</span> </a><a class="banner-nav__link banner-signin" href="https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.action" id="ssa-signin" title="Sign in" target="_blank"><svg class="banner-nav__icon" focusable="false" width="24" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M12 17.016q-.797 0-1.406-.61t-.61-1.405.61-1.405 1.406-.61 1.406.61.61 1.406-.61 1.407-1.406.61zm6 3V9.986H6v10.03h12zm-6-17.11q-1.266 0-2.18.914T8.906 6H9v2.016h6.094V6q0-1.266-.914-2.18T12 2.906zm6 5.11q.797 0 1.406.586t.61 1.383v10.03q0 .798-.61 1.384T18 21.984H6q-.797 0-1.406-.586t-.61-1.384V9.986q0-.798.61-1.384T6 8.016h.984V6q0-2.063 1.477-3.54T12 .985t3.54 1.477T17.015 6v2.016H18z" vector-effect="non-scaling-stroke"></path></svg> <span>Sign in</span></a></nav></div></header></noscript></ssa-header><script src="https://www.ssa.gov/legacy/components/dist/ssa-header.js"></script>
<!-- SITE NAVIGATION -->
<!-- DEPRECATED -->
<!-- PAGE TITLE -->
<div id="title-bar"><h2>Social Security History</h2></div>
<!-- ARCHIVE MESSAGE -->
<div class="archive"><div class="content-wrapper pad-left no-top-padding no-bottom-padding">This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures.</div></div>
<!-- PAGE CONTENT -->
<div id="content" role="main">
<!-- GRID -->
<div class="grid">
<div class="row-12">
<div class="column-8">
<h3>Early Interviewing Guide</h3>
<P><I>In 1942 Bob Ball was an analyst in the Training Office. He was tasked with preparing an instruction guide for field office interviews. This is the first document Ball wrote for general circulation in SSA. It expresses both the official view of the Agency, and Ball's own philosophy of service.</I></P>
<p><P ALIGN="CENTER"><B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#003399">NOTES FOR YOUR GUIDANCE</FONT></B></P>
<P>Field personnel are the Social Security Board's direct representatives to the public. Your success or failure in dealing with the public will in large measure determine the success or failure of the whole social security program. You will see more people in an official capacity than the Director of the Bureau or any other Centrel Office employee and each person you see will have either a better or worse opinion of the social security program and, yes, of our whole government, because of the way you treated him. Yours then is a great responsibility and a great opportunity.<BR>
<BR>
It is expected that your technical knowledge will always be thorough and up to date and that you will know the rules and regulations connected with Old-Age and Survivors Insurance which will aid you in doing a better job for the people who look to you for help. You must know not only Title II but enough about the broad social security program to be of assistance to those you meet who are not eligible for insurance or who need additional assistance. You are the representative of the Board as well as the Bureau. In addition, to do intelligent public relations work you must know the weaknesses as well as the strong points of the present Act-and you must be acquainted with the proposals for changes in the Act and extensions of the program. You must know the why as well as the what.<BR>
<BR>
All these things you are expected to know but even more important there are things you are expected to be. The mysteries of the average monthly wage and insured status are relatively easy to master but such knowledge is only the beginning of your job. Your job is really different just because it doesn't deal with facts or things or even theories but with people in all their variety. You have much more difficult things to learn. You have to learn how to be a certain type of person.<BR>
<BR>
Perhaps the one word which comes closer than any other to expressing what field personnel must be in order to be successful in dealing with the public is COURTEOUS. &quot;Oh but that's easy&quot; you say, &quot;I have good manners. They are really second nature to me. I would never be discourteous in business or in my private life either.&quot; Unfortunately, however, courtesy is not the same thing as good manners. If it were we could learn courtesy as we learn the average monthly wage and that would be that. Courtesy has been defined as the ability to make people feel at home. This ability is much more than mere politeness or the correct manners. Real courtesy means knowing each person you deal with so well that you know what makes him feel at home. It means for instance that you are crisp and businesslike in dealing with a busy executive and that you don't take up his time unduly with casual conversation and attempts to be friendly. On the other hand, it means knowing that it is discourteous to be crisp and businesslike to those who enter our offices, shy and afraid.<BR>
<BR>
Did you ever stop to think how discourteous it is to use a word that is above the vocabulary of the person with whom you are talking? Technical terms should not be used in interviewing the public not only because people do not understand them but also because they resent not understanding them. In putting them at a disadvantage you are being discourteous.<BR>
<BR>
The first step toward developing the knowledge of people that is necessary in order to be courteous in this fundamental sense is to be critical of your own contacts with people. You must learn first to weigh the effect of your words and manner on others and in time you will be able to foresee the effect you will have. At that point you will become really valuable to the Bureau. To begin, then, go over your interviews in your mind after they are completed and ask yourself -- Did that elderly gentleman really understand what I was saying or was he afraid to ask me again? Will that schoolgirl remember what I told her in the event she goes to work this summer? Was that widow, who was so obviously upset, in any fame of mind to know what I was talking about? To be a successful interviewer you must learn not only enough about poople to make them feel at home, but you must learn also to express yourself so that all types of people understand you. Most important of all you must learn to be the type of person that a stranger feels he can trust,<BR>
<BR>
This is a country of immigrants from many lands. Because of the variety of our origin the task of understanding people who come to our offices is made even more difficult. The most important principle in learning about people is to remember that each individual is just a little bit different from any other and that some are a whole lot different. You must approach each now individual with a mind free of preconceived notions. Nothing is so destructive to a good interview as ready-made concepts about people, or classes of people, or races of people. The worst interviewers are those experts who can tell all about somebody from the way he talks or dresses or whatnot. A little modesty rather than cocksureness will help us to learn more about that most difficult of all subjects, another human being.<BR>
<BR>
Interviewing, of course, is not a matter of either technical knowledge or courtesy or knowledge of people. We must learn to evaluate the answers we get&ndash;distinguishing between an opinion and a fact. A good interviewer draws people gets them talking. He is seldom satisfied with one-word answers and he has learned to recognize evasions.<BR>
<BR>
Of course, we all feel that this social program which we are called upon to administer is an important one. We hope it has become a permanent part of our American way of life. This is not necessarily true. This social security program will only stay with us just as long as we do the kind of a job that our visitors like and appreciate.<BR>
<BR>
Success in this task requires the help of those who understand elderly people and widows and children. We must satisfy those with whom we work and for whom we work and in addition we must know that we are satisfying them. Their reactions to us and our program must be correctly interpreted. In your capacity of dealing directly with our visitors you become the interpreter, and it is through your eyes, trained to appraise correctly, that we must look for the correct reactions to our visitors. And so we must learn not only to do the kind of job that our program calls for, but we must learn to know people sufficiently well so that we can help in developing a program that more thoroughly meets the needs of our beneficiaries.<BR>
<BR>
<B><FONT COLOR="#003399">Developed for the Field Personnel <BR>
Social Security Board of the Bureau of Old-Age &amp; Survivors Insurance.</FONT></B><FONT COLOR="black"></FONT></p>
<div class="row-12">
<div class="column-6">
<p></p>
</div>
<!-- END COLUMN -->
<div class="column-6">
<p></p>
</div>
<!-- END COLUMN -->
</div>
<!-- END ROW -->
</div>
<!-- END COLUMN -->
<div class="column-4 sidebar">
<div class="pad-left">
<!-- SIDEBAR HEADER -->
<h3>Historical Links</h3>
<ul class="divider">
<li><a href="index.html">History Home Page</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<!-- END BORDER -->
</div>
<!-- END COLUMN -->
</div>
<!-- END ROW -->
</div>
<!-- END GRID -->
</div>
<!-- END CONTENT -->
<!-- PAGE FOOTER -->
<ssa-footer class="print-hide"><noscript><footer class="footer" id="footer" role="contentinfo"><a href="/menu#footer">Footer menu</a></footer></noscript></ssa-footer><script src="https://www.ssa.gov/legacy/components/dist/ssa-footer.js"></script>
</div>
<!-- END PAGE CONTAINER -->
<!-- FRAMEWORK BODY CONTENT -->
<!-- SSA INTERNET BODY SCRIPTS -->
<script src="/framework/js/ssa.internet.body.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Reference in a new issue View git blame Copy permalink