SILKIN MANAGEMENT GROUP: EXAMPLES OF DISCRIMINATORY HIRING INQUIRIES

Part 2

Silkin Management Group’s first article in this series, which you can access here: Examples of Discriminatory Hiring Inquires Pt 1, discussed three examples of discriminatory inquiries that anyone hiring new employees should be aware of. For the next few days we’ll continue to post more examples on our various Silkin Management Group blog sites to help educate on this subject anyone reading our blogs, whether Silkin Management Group clients or not.

If you are expanding and need more personnel, you’ll be in a hiring mode. If you have to let an employee go, you’ll be in a hiring mode. In either case it is important for you to know what is safe to ask and what is improper to ask during the hiring process. To reduce the likelihood of discriminatory claims in hiring, it is important for employers to remove inappropriate inquiries from application forms and to refrain from using them as interview questions.

Here are some more examples of discriminatory areas to be aware of:

• Birthplace and Residence: Potential discriminatory inquiries could include asking for the birthplace of the applicant or spouse, the birthplace of the applicant’s parents and/or requirement that the applicant submit birth certificates. It is safe to ask for the applicant’s place of residence and the length of the applicant’s residence in the city where the employer is located.

• Religion: Do not ask for the applicant’s religious affiliation or religious holidays observed by the applicant or whether they have religious beliefs that prevent them from working on some days. You can state the regular work days, hours and shifts to be worked and religious days on which operations are closed.

In tomorrow’s Silkin Management Group blog, we’ll discuss what is acceptable and not acceptable to ask concerning age. This is an area often overlooked in hiring.

As mentioned in earlier Silkin Management Group blogs on this subject, our consultants recommend to their clients to review all employment legal issues with an attorney whose practice involves employment law.

For more information about Silkin Management Group, visit our website at www.silkinmanagementgroup.com or call us at 800-695-0257.

Gary Crawshaw
Silkin Management Group Consultant