Reference no: EM132938471

Discrimination Risk in Using Social Media for Hiring

In many organizations, the people who make hiring decisions, conduct an online search of social media to learn more about candidates. According to a 2017 CareerBuilder poll of 2,380 HR and hiring managers, approximately 70 percent of employers said they used social media for hiring - a significant increase from 60 percent in 2016 and 11 percent a decade ago. The objective is to gain greater insight into applicants' character and personal interests to spot red flags that a person might behave unprofessionally. The use of social media in applicants vetting and hiring is increasing further in the post-Covid environment where most recruitment processes are becoming virtual and less physical. However, some recent research suggests that investigating and screening candidates using social media and databases contributes to discriminatory hiring decisions.

In one study, researchers created fictional resumes and social-media profiles and sent the resumes to businesses that had advertised job openings. All the resumes listed the same qualifications under different names, but the social media hinted that applicants were either Christian or Muslim or Hindus or of other religions, or that they were either gay or straight. Research showed that the hiring companies were more likely to call applicants with Christian-sounding names and profiles than applicants who seemed to be of other religions. Similarly, other factors, for example, place of birth or childhood also caused recruitment preferences. Broken down geographically, the difference was statistically significant. The researchers did not find a difference in response rates related to sexual orientation in this study.

To avoid discriminatory behavior, it is important for employers to get expert advice to ensure compliance with human rights, privacy and other laws of the land. For example, employers must be sure the information they gather is related to job specifications and job descriptions only. Some suggest that employers consider using a third-party company to conduct back-ground check and omit protected information, such as an employee's religion, health and pregnancy status. One recent survey found that 95 percent of social media screening is conducted internally and only 5 percent is outsourced to an external specialist.

Questions

1. Explain how the findings of the research study provide an example of differential treatment

2. What employee characteristics are protected by human rights and discrimination laws which should not be revealed on social media sites? Which characteristics would be difficult or impossible to avoid disclosing?

3. Critical analysis of the job specification and advertisement of a vacant position posted by the company you have selected for your term project or by any other company of your choice. Point out any areas of obvious discrimination, or any areas that hint at discrimination, either in the job specification or in the advertisement.