Monday, January 2, 2012

Employment 2012

The EEOC has announced that employers demanding a high school diploma or equivalent as a condition of employment may be violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. They feel that a candidate with a learning disability that prevented them from finishing high school should not be discriminated against when applying for a position that requires say, the ability to read, write, and do simple math.

Along with that, the minimum wage just went up, at least around here, so in addition to being required to seriously consider morons for employment, you have to pay them more as well.

If I were a businessman, I think I'd move "hiring more help" down a notch or two on my list. If I were a politician, I'd add abolishing the minimum wage to my platform.

1 comment:

Brad K. said...

If I were an employer I would be tempted to define every position as "previous work experience required". That way I get to check on attendance habits, ability to take direction and complete tasks, and to get along with others, with work references.

Much of that could come from the high school diploma, for first-time applicants. But if the EEOC is going to sick at the actual academic credential part of the diploma, then that cannot be used.

The reason I suggest that the side-effects of getting the diploma are important, is that few employers care whether a graduate spent their time in shop, drama, or advanced math.