Common sense wins through

A few posts ago (AA-Applicants anonymous) I commented on the over-the-top suggestion that the forthcoming Equality Bill should include the provision that applicants’ names be withheld from application forms until shortlisting had been completed. I am pleased to read in Personnel Today that the DWP says this idea has been withdrawn.

AA – applicants anonymous

There is a proposal that candidates omit personal details from application forms to prevent employers gleaning any information about sex, race or age prior to interview. The idea is contained in an amendment, proposed by Lyn Featherstone (Lib Dem MP), to the Equalities Bill going through parliament. Sadly the CIPD appears to endorse the idea. This is the recruitment equivalent of preventing road deaths by reintroducing a man* walking in front of cars with a red flag (perhaps I should keep quite about that – someone might think it’s a good idea).

Quite apart from being totally OTT, how do they think it will work? Large organisations could possibly support a totally separate team of HR people to anonymise applications before passing them on for short-listing to a different lot but I cannot think of a better way of stigmatising HR as out of touch.

In most organisations a small HR team will be involved both in receiving  applications and short-listing them? I know! They could set up a new state quango (Central Recruitment Anonymisation Police?) and make it illegal to employ anyone through any other source.

Of course, to make an application totally ‘sexless’ you would not only have to remove the names, ages and race details but also schools, hobbies and career details in many cases. The list of give-aways is endless: educated at Cheltenham Ladies College; played rugby for Wasps first team; have ‘O’ levels rather than GCSEs; chair of the Seikh society at Uni; and many,many more.

* – yes, I know, but it always was a man in those days.

Health & Safety – no more tedium

A new CIPD Factsheet lists all the obligations laid on employers by the health and safety regulations. About halfway down the list is “alleviate monotonous work”. OK, I know that monotony can lead to carelessness, which can lead to danger but just suppose that this obligation could be made compulsory in all contexts – perhaps incorporated into the Human Rights Act? What changes might that lead to? An end to call centre jobs? Self-service in McDonalds to protect the staff? Hairdressers allowed home early after their umpteenth conversation about last night’s EastEnders? How about compulsory jokes between each boring bit in the budget speech? No more Ant & Dec?

 

Which bit of monotony would you recommend be abolished to protect our general health and wellbeing?