impact of equality act on recruitment and selection

Question 1

adverts

Answer 1

• adverts must not include bias terminology/wording, staff would require training to ensure adverts are appropriate
• businesses cannot solely advertise in one area (eg. female magazines) meaning the business has to increase the amount of advertising it does

Question 2

buildings during interviews

Answer 2

• to make buildings accessible for all candidates, during interviews organisations may need to rent additional premises
• interview venue should allow access for the disabled if required meaning the organisation may need to put in a ramp

Question 3

application forms

Answer 3

• organisations must ensure that application forms are available in different formats for example large text, which can be time consuming to change

Question 4

health during interview

Answer 4

• an employer cannot request details on a candidate’s health in the initials stages of recruitment
• however, employer must check with candidates that they are able to access any assessment that requires to be undertaken as part of the assessment process

> an employer can take ‘positive action’ to assist people who are disadvantaged or underrepresented in employment for example disabled

Question 5

health after getting job

Answer 5

• a job offer can be made conditional upon the successful applicant meeting the employer’s health or other requirement

> if an employer after identifying an applicant’s disability or health withdraws a job offer, solely on this basis, this would be discrimination

> a person who has applied for a job can make a complaint to the Equality and Human Rights Commission if they feel they have been discriminated against so the organisation could be fined

Question 6

tests

Answer 6

if using tests – provide extra time for applicants with additional support needs making interview process longer