the company sent around a form to fill out for everyone. It is basically a resume: work experience, education etc.
At the bottom, it says ‘place photo here’.
Can they do this? My probnlem with it is as follows:
If they have my resume and my picture, they can decide without ever meeting me that I dont fit their ‘image’ of any particular position I may apply for within the company.
Even if I was 5 foot 10, 110 pounds, drop dead georgous, I would be offended. They can ONLY use these photos for discrimination based on appearance.
Is this legal?
I have to turn this in in a week, and I have no intention of attaching any picture more recent that first grade.
I don’t understand. If they “sent it around”, then it sounds like you already work there, and they just want to beef up their files a bit, and perhaps the photo is for the Security folks.
But if “they” is a company to which you are applying for employment, then you definitely have a case for discrimination; I think such a request might be illegal.
If these “resumes” are for promotion within the company, then although they might be used for discrimination, I think you’d have a tough time proving it.
Then don’t be surprised when you don’t get the job. Most companies don’t want to hire “troublemakers,” especially if they start making waves when they are just applying for a job.
I understand your concern, though. One look at a picture could allow a bigoted boss to eliminate you because you are black, female or whatever.
As to your question of whether it is legal or not… I suppose there could be a legitimate reason, but it escapes me. You’ve really not given us enough info, though, to figure out why they would want a picture. What type of job is it? What type of business? For example, if you were modeling, then it would be wholly appropriate, since appearance is the only requirement.
Just trying to think like an industry exec, I could see a possible justification if you were going to be someone who deals with the public to any extent. The boss would want to be assured of your cleanliness, grooming, etc. before allowing you to represent the company. But since most people get gussied up in their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes for a picture, I don’t see how it could be an accurate indicator.
Give us a few more details so that we can figure this one out. If there really is no good reason for them to need a picture, then maybe you should ask yourself if it is a company you truly want to work for.
Any chance they’re intending to assign security badges with photos? (Not that that seems very likely, at all.)
Have you called personnel (or ER or HR or whatever they’re calling themselves these days) and asked them? If you do, you might want to mention that while it may be legal, they will certainly be setting themselves up for a nifty lawsuit if a minority or two decides they haven’t made the first cut on a job opportunity.
Don’t assume that they did this with evil intent; there is far more stupidity than evil in the world. On the other hand, is surely seems like a dumb idea that is worth challenging.
I work for a newspaper which is owned by a HUGE company which owns…well almost everything in the province. It is common to promote within the company, and OF COURSE, I just applied for a promotion Monday. (co-incidence)
Everyone at the paper is being required to fill out these forms: the explanation is as follows:
" the company is in the process of updating all personell files. What they would like to accomplish is an employee profile and career development summary for employees. This is intended to help the company better understand our desires and us."
direct quote.
I have been here since last May, and quite frankly, if this is how they are gonna run things, I wont be staying.
Whoops! I found the secret give-away keyword. Kellibelli wrote:
Canadian, eh?
Seems you’ve caught a bunch of self-righteous anti-discrimination 'Merkins with egg on our faces. At least me, that’s for sure. Here I go suggesting what may or may not be legal, and I just presumed you to be from the USA, and never bothered to ask.
Please accept my apologies.
I have no idea what the laws are like in Canada. Proceed as you think best. I’ll shut up now.
Kellibelli, you’re a Canadian posting on a predominantly American forum. It’s a very different country when it comes to these kinds of things. I worked for a Canadian company that originally had almost 3000 employees. The company hit hard times, slowly shrank in size, and finally had one last layoff of 500 people in one day. It was obvious that they targeted, in the last layoff, a certain personnel bracket of people in their mid-forties who were approaching qualification for a pension. Any American company adopting such a policy would be whistle-blown and sued to hell but, in Canada, nobody blinked.
You are much more likely to be discriminated against for not providing a picture. You will be motivated to quit or grounds will be found for your dismissal. Dilbert cartoons barely scratch the surface. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, has said that Canada is a very fertile source of inspiration.
This is probably just another example of human resources department twittery. Generally human resources staff are goofs. When I first entered the corporate world more than twenty years ago “human resources” was a very minor player, clerks adminstering paper. I have watched them rise to getting the best offices and the best pay and playing roles that far exceed their capabilities. Why? Because they relieve the senior management snobs of the unpleasant task of dealing with the little people. We corporatists have a saying - “When your boss leans on human resources as his closest advisor your company is in deep trouble.”
I’ll stop this now because I could go on forever telling stories of incredible stupidity in the human resources department. In your case, Kelli, some human resources twit probably thought it would be a good idea to have a photo on file so they could refer to it when discussing staff and could go find somebody and greet them like they recognize them when they go looking for someone. It’s probably a fairly innocuous bureaucratic thing and, in Canada, it probably never entered their minds that someone might object.
The smart thing for the company to do would have been to implement a simple photo ID system and have everyone report at work for a quick photo session. That way, they get their pictures on file without spooking anyone.
What Keeves said (and a further apology because I do know you’re Canadian). OTOH, depending on the province, the lawsuit I suggested they could be opening themselves up to is a possibility, but that does depend on provincial provisions that I don’t know).
Anyone who has had to interview a bunch of people for a job will understand that having a photo helps you remember who’s who. Just try interviewing briefly a bunch of people you’ve never met and try to remember a weeks later who’s who. I had this experience once. I interviewed a BIG bunch of people and sent the ones I chose to my boss who interviewed them like a week later. Another week after that he called me to discuss the candidates and I was lost! A photo would have made all the difference.
In these days of everyone claiming discrimination I guess it can become and issue but (again IMHO) managers should be allowed to manage as they see fit even if it means they do things that are morally wrong. The answer should be better moral values rather than trying to legislate everything. This approach of legislating everything is not working and is making everybody leary and/or angry. just my opinion
You did not mention whether or not your company has been recently purchased by another. It does sound like there has been a drastic change in management and the new guys want to get to know everyone. I know it puts people more at ease when the new managers seem at least somewhat familiar with you. Less cold and impersonal. They cannot use this photo to exclude you from employment because they have already hired you
I don’t think I would be offended, myself- but then again I’m a white male, age 25-45 and the oppressed minority group I belong to isn’t apparent from a photograph. I believe that if my oppressed minority status was visible in a photo, I would have a slight problem with that.
Would you be upset if, when they made your ID badge, they kept a copy of the picture and placed it into your personnel file? That’s basically the same thing, they’re just asking you to do the work. That’s the only part that would irk me.
Nope, I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it legally. There’s no laws about discriminating on the basis of looks. Race, sex all that is covered but there’s nothing to stop someone from only hiring people with a certain look.
A few years ago, I was hired and had to turn in a recent picture. In this particular position I would be working mostly alone, and with the combination to the safe (and consequently a fair amount of cash). Their explanation was that a manager at one of the other stores in the chain cleaned out the safe and vanished.
It’s a long way to heaven, but only three short steps to hell.