Abstract
This paper is aimed at examining a case study which shows how business administrators can take decisions that can discriminate against some people on the basis of gender, disability, or race. This issue is particularly relevant if one speaks about women who may take maternity leave in the future. It is necessary to offer suggestions that can help managers address this problem.
In particular, one should develop policies and procedures that are designed to evaluate the skills of candidate, education, and professional experience, rather than family background. Only in this way, companies can find the best employees and safeguard themselves against legal conflicts that are also costly.
The problems identified in this case are relevant to small businesses that are driven by the necessity to reduce costs. These organizations have to find workers who will be committed their business goals. These are the main issues that will be examined in this paper in more detail.
Introduction
This case study is aimed at examining various perspectives on such a concept as diversity in the workplace. In particular, the discussion presented by the author enables the readers to understand how business administrators evaluate different candidates (Custom Casebook, 2007).
More importantly, this case throws light on the reasons why managers can take unethical decisions when hiring workers, especially one should focus on the discrimination which is often based on gender. Overall, it is possible to argue that this problem can be addressed if business administrators adopt recruitment policies that minimize the risk of discrimination. This is the main argument that should be discussed.
Overview and Analysis
This scenario incorporates different stakeholders. First of all, one has to speak about a business administrator named Joe who has to decide whether he should hire a female or male employee (Custom Casebook, 2007). On the one hand, he has to find the best candidate that the company needs.
It should be noted that a female candidate seems to be more suitable for this position because of her excellent education and sufficient experience (Custom Casebook, 2007). Nevertheless, this manager takes into account the possibility that this woman may soon take her maternity leave. Therefore, the company has to spend time and money on the search and training of a new employee who would fill the position of this woman.
Additionally, the firm will need to provide full coverage of the maternity leave. Overall, this case represents different professional problems. First of all, an organization has to hire the most suitable candidate. Moreover, at the same time, they have to comply with legal and ethical requirements that completely forbid the discrimination against a person on the basis of gender, religion, or nationality (Catano, 2009, p. 89). Therefore, one can say that Joe has to cope with a very challenging task.
Problem Definition
Overall, the problem identified in the case study has several dimensions. First of all, it demonstrates modern companies do take into consideration such factors as gender when deciding which candidate is most suitable, even though this form of decision-making is forbidden by existing legislation. Therefore, it is necessary to determine how this problem can be adequately addressed by business administrators.
Additionally, this case points to another important issue. In particular, one of the interlocutors notes that small businesses cannot always support the female employees who have to take maternity leave (Custom Casebook, 2007). The resources of these organizations are limited, especially in comparison with large corporations. Therefore, one has to determine how businesses can overcome these difficulties.
It is possible to construct a scenario that can be encountered by HR managers and administrators. For instance, one can refer to the situation when a manager has to choose among different candidates some of whom can have disabilities or take maternity leaves. These tasks are relevant to many managers who are responsible for the performance of an organization and its profitability.
Solutions and Recommendations
It is possible to offer different recommendations that are relevant to the case. First of all, the business administrator, who has to choose a candidate, should focus on the professional qualities of the people, rather than their family relations. This is the best approach that he can take in this situation. Moreover, it seems that his concerns about the maternity leave of the female candidate are too exaggerated.
One can even say that they are mostly based on guesswork instead of facts. This is the main points that he overlooks. This is why he should hire a female candidate, if she can better meet the requirements of a company. In the long term, this employee can be of great value to the company, even if she takes maternity leave. This is one of the first suggestions that one can make in this case.
Furthermore, it is possible to develop more generalized strategies that can help businesses avoid ethical problem. In particular, they should exclude the questions about the family issues of a candidate from the job interview (Lockton, 2005, p. 132). It seems that these questions can actually violate the rights of people who seek employment (Lockton, 2005, p. 132).
The recruiters should focus on the ability of a person to cope with professional tasks, educational background, and experience. This precaution can help businesses hire the best candidates and avoid legal conflicts. Furthermore, it is important to remember about the role of policy-makers who should remember that small businesses do not have the same financial resources in comparison with small large corporations.
Conclusion
This discussion indicates that the discrimination has not completely eradicated from contemporary workplace. Certainly, it cannot be always attributed to prejudices or biases that existed in the past; more likely, this problem can be explained by the willingness of business administrators to reduce costs. This issue can be addressed in several ways. One of the main issues is that companies should implement strategies that reduce the risk of discrimination which is based on gender or disability.
Reference List
Catano, V. (2009). Recruitment and Selection in Canada. New York: Cengage Learning.
Custom Casebook. (2007). Newton: Lasell College.
Lockton, D. (2005). Employment Law. New York: Routledge.