 A work instruction introduced in 1996 requires government staff in the Arbeitsämter – local employment agencies and social security offices operated by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs – to mark companies owned by Scientologists with the letter " S " . Where companies are suspected of having Scientologist staff , prospective employees are alerted to this fact by government staff . Government officials have publicised the names of individual Scientologists and conducted media campaigns against their businesses ; some businesspeople have placed advertisements in the press saying they are not Scientologists in order to avoid the associated stigma . 
