Entry # 15

Limits on Personal Info in Hiring (p. 357)

            I think there are information that might seem relevant for some but irrelevant for many. It was stated at the Decision Point that “the law prohibits denying someone a job on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or disability.” Right now, people are still widely arguing about it. I do believe that construction companies could hire people who are physically disabled given that they are not assigned to actual construction work that requires heavy lifting, etc. I do believe that schools and companies should not hire teachers and employees who use drugs because drugs alternate one’s perception of reality and it interferes with one’s decision-making body that they may bring harm to the entire enterprise. I do believe that employees can hire people who smoke cigarettes given that they follow the rules (ex: do not smoke within n ft of the perimeter.) I do believe that employers have the right to know the emotional and mental stability of their employees by letting them take personality tests and the like because it gives them a glimpse of who you are, how they handle stress, and the like. However, I strongly disagree that they should look into one’s sexual life, base the decision of hiring solely on the results of personality tests, discriminate against those who have made

What I’m trying to say is that employees have the right to look into information that will affect the working conditions and productivity of the employee. I mean, I know some employers will want to know the religion of employees because they would want to pick those who share the same values as them. Remember, in the Parable of the Sadhu, the storyteller mentioned that the reason why they failed to know what happened to the Sadhu was because they had different values and at the same time different priorities. And I think that’s one problem that many employers are trying to avoid. They, however, hold no right to obligate information that is too personal or will not affect the work productivity of the employees (ex: ethnicity, sexual preference, etc.)


            In the end, personal information or not, employers must keep obtained data confidential. If by hiring, potential employees already feel threatened, imagine the trust they will give to you once they start working. The practice of the boss being all-powerful has long been demolished. Now, the practice of the boss having a more personal relationship with his/her employees are more implemented due to the fact that trust is established when such practice is implemented. We must all be careful with the information we give and hold. Never use the information you gathered to harm others. Information is meant to be used to be able to do good things – not threaten someone.

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