Invasion Of Privacy or Knowing Your Employee: Recruiters should Be Allowed to Ask Personal Questions

Guests: Gina Thompson-Williams: Director, Business Transformation, Organisational Development and Change at JPS Uton Vassell: Group HR Business Partner at Digicel/ Employment Law & Industrial Relations Expert Welcome to Your Business Matters, a podcast of EXIM Bank Jamaica where we bring thought leaders together on thought-provoking ideas and methods to help grow your business Many people, due to their eagerness to gain employment often overlook or fail to recognize invasive questions posed by their potential employer.   One could argue that information such as marital status and age are  general information but in the wrong hands these can end up being weapons of mass discrimination. On the other hand,  employers  have a right to know who they are adding to their team. So how thin is the line between an employee profile and a privacy breach? According to the Fundamental Rights and Freedom of Jamaica, individuals have the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of being male or female, race, place of origin and social class, color, religion, or political opinions. (Constitutional Amendment No. 4 2011). As we take a deep dive into the topic, ponder for a second, Invasion Of Privacy or Knowing Your Employee: Recruiters should Be Allowed to Ask Personal Questions? Some of what we discussed include: Is it knowing your employee or invasion of privacy when potential employers ask about religion etc? What kind of bearing does marital status have on employee performance? where is the line drawn in asking questions during job interviews? We also touched base with a member of our audience Kemel Walford  who posed this question to our guests “ Does it come down to competence or culture, which is more important?” Connect with our guests: Connect with Uton on LinkedIn at Uton Vassell or via email at [email protected]. You may also contact Gina at [email protected] and on LinkedIn at Gina Tomlinson-Williams. Thank you for joining us on Your Business Matters hosted by Heneka Watkis-Porter of the Entrepreneurial You podcast. Remember to join us next week for another exciting episode with our thought-provoking leaders as they debate thought-provoking ideas and methods to help grow your business and move closer to your goals. To stay in touch, you can connect with us on your favorite podcast platforms at ‘Your Business Matters’ where we bring the matters to the table, or visit eximbankja.com for further information and business resources. As you continue to mind your business, I leave with you this quote from Bob Nelson "An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his/her manager." Take care.