I am making a complaint against “the Apprentice” screened on TV3 on Tuesday (8th Dec ‘09). I additionally am complaining about Brightwater Recruitment, which has been involved throughout the series, and also to Bill Cullen who presided over the interview process.
I am a periodic candidate for interview, and I would be appalled to be treated in a manner similar to that which the contestants on the Apprentice were treated. Given this is a popularly watched programme, and we are now in a recession, I believe the programme (with Brightwater Recruitment's participation) may set a precedent as to how candidates can be interviewed in the future.
As I understand it the Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004 prohibit discrimination in recruitment and employment generally on nine grounds: an individual's sex, marital status, religion, age, race, disability, family status, sexual orientation or membership of the traveller community.
I believe Tuesday's programme breeched these Acts on a number of grounds, including, but not restricted to:
§ Pressing an individual to answer personal questions about her family background
§ Pressing and prying an individual after he said the matter was personal
§ Discrimination in terms of a person’s disability (dyslexia and alcoholism) - the interviewer discriminated by assuming that dyslexia (or alcoholism) would be an issue (or a “very high risk”) rather than asking the candidate if they themselves believe it would impact on their job.
§ Asking questions about the candidate’s family and implying the candidate was selfish to go for a job in Dublin.
§ Making reference to a candidates gender throughout an interview
The Apprentice purports to be a series about hiring a business candidate. Brightwater have been intimately involved throughout the series. I would have thought that if the "entertainment" excuse was being used, reference would have been made to the inappropriateness of the questioning.
I believe the programme (and Brightwater) should issue an apology and clarification in the next episode. I believe someone from the Equality Authority should be on the show and confirm the position / penalties to organisations which discriminate during an interview process. Lastly I believe that the three interview candidates themselves should receive legal advice as to whether they were being discriminated against.
In the past the programme has taken liberties by calling a candidate a “bully” on national television. I believe on Tuesday’s programme it overstepped the mark.
I have sent this to relevant parties including:
dublin@brightwater.ie
http://www.meteor.ie/contact_us/contact_form/
info@tv3.ie
http://www.goldenapples.ie/contact/index.htm
info@equality.ie
info@bci.ie
I am a periodic candidate for interview, and I would be appalled to be treated in a manner similar to that which the contestants on the Apprentice were treated. Given this is a popularly watched programme, and we are now in a recession, I believe the programme (with Brightwater Recruitment's participation) may set a precedent as to how candidates can be interviewed in the future.
As I understand it the Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004 prohibit discrimination in recruitment and employment generally on nine grounds: an individual's sex, marital status, religion, age, race, disability, family status, sexual orientation or membership of the traveller community.
I believe Tuesday's programme breeched these Acts on a number of grounds, including, but not restricted to:
§ Pressing an individual to answer personal questions about her family background
§ Pressing and prying an individual after he said the matter was personal
§ Discrimination in terms of a person’s disability (dyslexia and alcoholism) - the interviewer discriminated by assuming that dyslexia (or alcoholism) would be an issue (or a “very high risk”) rather than asking the candidate if they themselves believe it would impact on their job.
§ Asking questions about the candidate’s family and implying the candidate was selfish to go for a job in Dublin.
§ Making reference to a candidates gender throughout an interview
The Apprentice purports to be a series about hiring a business candidate. Brightwater have been intimately involved throughout the series. I would have thought that if the "entertainment" excuse was being used, reference would have been made to the inappropriateness of the questioning.
I believe the programme (and Brightwater) should issue an apology and clarification in the next episode. I believe someone from the Equality Authority should be on the show and confirm the position / penalties to organisations which discriminate during an interview process. Lastly I believe that the three interview candidates themselves should receive legal advice as to whether they were being discriminated against.
In the past the programme has taken liberties by calling a candidate a “bully” on national television. I believe on Tuesday’s programme it overstepped the mark.
I have sent this to relevant parties including:
dublin@brightwater.ie
http://www.meteor.ie/contact_us/contact_form/
info@tv3.ie
http://www.goldenapples.ie/contact/index.htm
info@equality.ie
info@bci.ie
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