Equality and Inequality: Eradicating Discrimination in Recruitment and Selection Process - Term Paper Example

Equality and Inequality The possibility of eradicating discrimination through a formalized approach in Recruitment and Selection Process Introduction Recruiting and selecting the right people is paramount to the success of an organization and its ability to retain a workforce of the highest quality. In order to achieve this objective a formal recruitment and Selection policy need to be established with procedures to ensure as far as possible, that the best people are recruited on merit and that the recruitment process is free from bias and discrimination. Ideally the established policy should be consistent and the organization should recognize that its objectives are to influence the society at large; hence as a social obligation its practices should reach out the community it serves-which eventually ensures success of the organization. A formal policy should apply to potential as well as actual employees and relate to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, pay, terms and conditions of service, promotion, development and training, transfer, grievance and disciplinary procedures and in making arrangements for working in the organization. The policy should be accessible and known to all employees and applicants for jobs, since it is a significant process that not only helps to fill a vacancy physically, mentally and temperamentally but also helps to develop an employee into a desirable asset. Discrimination defined It is a global reality that discrimination, which is primarily human relations problem, exists in the recruitment and selection process of organizations, at diverse levels in varied forms and in different measures. Discrimination, to an extent can be defined as an act of making distinction among people or groups of people. For example, a discriminating employer may make a distinction between men and women for a job and choose only male applicants to fill certain vacancies in the organization. It is evident that a person acts with prejudice because of his personality which has been shaped by his environment. Prejudice is an attitude, not an act; it is a habit of mind, an opinion based partially on ignorance, fear and cultural patterns of group formation, none of which have rational foundations. To understand discrimination, we must first look at the roots of prejudice. We may show tendency to mistrust those who are indifferent and even display hostility through action in the form of discrimination. Since discrimination is man made and affects people it needs serious attention and possible solution to overcome the barrier. It is obvious that discrimination, one way or the other, is present everywhere in subtle variations. Kinds of discrimination and methods to eradicate There are different kinds of discrimination that exists in the process of recruitment and selection. i.e. religious, racial, older worker, employment of women, employment of the handicapped, sons of soil, medical discrimination etc.. It is essential that organizations need to establish policies and procedures to counter it, especially to recruit and retain the best talent; eventually be successful and distinguished in its business activities. One of the methods of eradicating discrimination is by the process of re-examining prejudice and discrimination within individuals - in the light of modern psychological theories. Undoubtedly, self-knowledge is one of the most powerful weapons against prejudice. Another area is education - since much of the discrimination is based on ignorance supported by tradition. Education helps to break down old beliefs in the superiority of men over women, white over white, one religion over another and so on. As more inter group contact is achieved, the realities of how people think and act will tend to overcome the myths that has formed people’s prejudices. For example, the flood of women into management positions has changes age-old myths of working women. It is evident that “Subtle discrimination exists in the professional workplace so training is the first step to overcoming obstacles, challenging mindsets, and to successfully initiating appropriate behavior at all levels of the company”-said an article recently 1 - hence the necessity of establishing a formal recruitment policy. The necessity of establishing a formal recruitment and selection policy Technically speaking recruitment and selection are not synonymous. Recruitment means announcing job opportunities to the public in such a way that good number of potential people will apply for them. Selection means choosing from that number, those applicants who are most likely to succeed in the jobs. Selection is the process of weeding out the unsuitable candidates and finally arriving at the most suitable one. In this sense, recruitment is a positive process while selection is a negative process of rejecting most of the candidates, leaving only a few who are considered suitable. It becomes a necessity that “Employers should be reviewing their HR practices and procedures. It is recommended that employers conduct an audit to assess the age composition of staff, evaluate pay and benefit structures, check recruitment, application and retirement procedures as well as employment rules and procedures in an attempt to eradicate potential discrimination and discriminatory practices.” 2 A properly planned and systematic recruitment policy is necessary to minimize disruption of work and attain the desired organizational objectives. Recruitment policy should always take into account that high caliber personnel are essential to have, but hard to find. In the expanding industrial economy and globalization, the demand for quality manpower, especially top management, technical and scientific personnel is far more than ever. Hence requirement of a formal policy is detrimental. Framework of an ideal recruitment and selection policy Primarily the organization should comply with all applicable legislations related to labor and other welfare measures. Once this is established an ideal policy should be developed and implemented to achieve the desired objectives of the organization. “All employees and potential employees should be treated fairly….regardless of gender, marital status, family responsibilities, disability, marital status, race, colour, creed, nationality, ethnic or national origins, age, being lesbian, gay or bisexual, or on any other grounds not relevant to good employment and learning practice.” 3 The most important steps involved in recruitment and selection are as follows: Assess the need for the job and ensure there is adequate funding for it Review the job description to ensure that it meets the present and future requirements Review specifications to ensure it meets the requirements of the job description Design the selection process Draft the advertisement and select the media Short list using applicable specification only Interview and test short-listed candidates Validate references and qualifications Make appointment Let us closely examine some of the elements of discrimination and possible methods of eradicating them – through a systematic/formalistic approach in recruitment and selection. Some of elements of discrimination examined: “If candidates are treated in different ways before assessment, which may give a particular candidate or candidates an advantage, this could constitute direct discrimination e.g. briefing one candidate but not another on the competencies required for the job.” 4 “Words of discouragement at or before interview may amount to "arrangements". Words or acts of discouragement can amount to less favorable treatment of the person discouraged.” 5 To ask questions about birthplace, nationality, race, color, religion or sex. To ask about pregnancy, number of children and their ages or child care arrangements etc.. or marital status, maiden name or prior married name etc… Ask applicants questions regarding the existence, nature severity, origin, or prognosis of his/her disability or medical conditions if any, but you can ask about his/her ability to perform all jobs related to the duties. Methods of eradicating discrimination The aims of the recruitment and selection process should be to ensure that equality of opportunity is considered as an integral part of recruitment practice, thus encouraging diversity by reducing unnecessary barriers, especially discriminatory elements. Let us examine some of the methods employed by certain organizations. “Take a positive approach to eliminating gender bias and sex discrimination by determining what processes need to be introduced or tightened-up in your workplace to eliminate the negative impact of human factors during recruitment and selection” “In order to combat indirect discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied to any County Council job, which would have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group.” 6 Key factors to be focused to avoid discrimination Defined selection process A defined selection process is used to choose individuals who have relevant qualifications to fill vacant positions. The process begins when a hiring department identifies the need to fill a position, and ends when a person is hired to meet that need. What happens in the middle of the process includes job analysis, position description development, recruitment, testing, screening, corresponding with applicants, credentials verification, background investigations, interviewing, reference checking, physical examinations, and the finally the job offer. Effective job description Job description explains what is done on the job, how it is done, and why it is done. An effective job description is concise and straightforward, and includes: the overall title and aim of the job (e.g. to ensure that quality standards are met, to produce accurate information about costs); what the new employee will do (e.g. plan, design, etc) and what he/she will work with (e.g. stock, customers etc); the skills and knowledge which a person will need to have, or be able to acquire, in order to do the job well. Benefits of effective job description are: It will help applicants make informed decisions about whether or not to apply. Saves time; It will help you compare applicants and ensure that your decisions can be justified if questioned; It can be used as the basis for adverts, for the interview and selection process, and again in the future for appraisals, promotion or similar recruitment exercises. Application forms for screening An application form should provide the essential information you require to go through unsuitable applicants quickly and to decide on the best shortlist for interview. Application forms can help the recruitment process by providing necessary and relevant information about the applicant and their skills. The design of the form needs to be realistic and straightforward, appropriate to the level of the job. Selection Panel The selection decision should ultimately be made by more than one person who has a detailed knowledge of the work required for the post. A Selection Panel is, therefore, required which should include at least one person who has been trained in selection techniques and equal opportunities and understands the selection procedure set by the organization. . Interview At the interview, each candidate should be treated consistently. To achieve this panel should: Ask the same initial questions of each candidate; Supplement their understanding of the candidate’s responses by following up questions as appropriate; Be consistent in allowing access to presentation material, notes and so on; not allow any discriminatory questions, harassment, or any other conduct which breaches equal opportunities policy or code of conduct; Ensure that in the case of disabled candidates, the necessity for any ‘reasonable adjustments’ that would be required on the job are explored in a positive manner. Assessment of disabled candidates should be based on their expected performance in the job, given that any reasonable adjustment required was provided. Keep in mind that information obtained throughout the selection process is treated as confidential and is known only to parties involved in the selection process. Short-listing Unlawful reasons for eliminating applicants should be avoided from the short listing process i.e. Disability, Gender, including pregnancy, Race, Marital Status, Age etc.. All members of the selection panel should be involved in the short-listing process. The person specification will form the basis of the selection decision. Records should be kept on the extent to which each candidate meets the requirements of each aspect of the person specification. These records should be held for a minimum of six months after the appointment has been made. Selection Since objectivity is difficult to achieve through interview alone, a range of selection methods should be established, closely based on the person specification for the post, which might include work-related tests or assessments. Care should be taken when selecting or designing tests and analyzing their results to ensure that they are free from bias. Records should be held for each of the candidates which demonstrate the extent to which the requirements of the person specification were met. These records should be kept for a minimum of six months following the appointment. Use of references Information sought from referees should be structured around the requirements of the job through the job description and person specification. That information should be kept confidential and should be used only to verify information collected during the selection process. Conclusion Using of a structured scoring system helps here, particularly one that is based on the applicants competencies, and helps avoid the pitfalls of stereotyping, making snap judgements, and mirror-image effects. Structured scoring allows the organization to weight some elements or competencies if desired, and to compare an applicants score with the job specification ideal score and recruit candidates purely based on their merit and competency. In brief: Overall be fair and treat every person equally – ideally the best method to eradicate discrimination from the organization. Works Cited Credibly Connecting Companies with Communities. 2005. Aurora Press Archive - 2005. http://www.auroravoice.com/pressarticle.asp?articleid=437 (accessed May 15, 2007). Age Discrimination “An Employer’s Timebomb!” http://www.canterburyhub.co.uk/news/pdf/68.pdf (accessed May 15, 2007). Owen D. 2000. Code of Practice on Recruitment and Selection. Personnel Service. Lancaster University. http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/personnel/rscode.htm (accessed May 15, 2007). Types of Discrimination in Recruitment and Selection. 2005. Equal Opportunities Commission. http://www.eoc-law.org.uk/default.aspx?page=2799 (accessed May 15, 2007). Recruitment and Selection. (2006). Equality Advice Centre. http://www.equality-online.org.uk/equality_advice/recruitment_selection.html (accessed May 15, 2007). Corporate Equalities Employment Policies. Hantsweb. Equality and Diversity. http://www3.hants.gov.uk/equality/policy-guide/employ/employ-frame.htm (accessed May 15, 2007). Read More