What If you were hiring for a position and one of the potential hires had listed a mental illness?
Question:
**Remember law prohibits discrimination however, it isnt necessary to list you are mentally ill, the pot.employee offered the information.
Answers:
I definitely wouldn't take the illness into consideration especially if the skills and experience are the same between the two candidates. Make sure the candidate can perform the job duties without interference from the illness. Last year I hired someone who had been diagnosed bipolar but was on medication. Apparently he stopped taking his medication because he was constantly sleeping on the job, late, etc. I had to be very careful and consult HR quite a bit but eventually we let him go because he was not able to perform the duties outlines in his job description. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires you to make some concessions so that the person with the mental illness has the same opportunity as anyone else, but the job still has to be done. No matter what you decide, make sure you involve HR and follow the law or it could come back to bite you. If I interview two people who have the same skills and it's a toss up, I usually go with the feeling I get from the interview (body language, eye contact, personality, etc). Good luck!
Has anyone thought about the possibility of the person mentioning the illness so that they can use it against the company if they aren't hired? I know it sounds bad but I've seen it done.
Other Answers:
Okay, you can't really discriminate; however, I would ask lots of questions, such as: has your mental illness ever caused you to not be able to do your job? has it caused you to take time off work?
i would hire the other person and say they were the better canidate, if asked why id say they seemed to have a better fit for our needs. etc.
so stop chossing to talk about and be mentally ill and find a new focus.
i would too.
But I would still most likely for risk mangt. purposes, hire the ther candidate w/ the same skills. B/c you could not fire the person w/ a mental illness for actions that may occur due to the mental instabilty. You would be stuck
I too, would give them a chance. Being that I to have a mental illness (depression), it would be hard for him to say that he didn't get the job because of the illness. One thing you may want to check out with him is how much time has he lost from other jobs because of his illness.. but I don't think you can.
I think the person told you so they could be considered a person taking resposibility for their illness and obviously wants to tame it or overcome it.you could be the one who gives this person a chance.
I would go deeper into the illness with them and asak a ton of questions? Just because they have an illness doesn't mean they are stupid or can't work.
Actually you could fire the individual if you made it clear upon hiring him.her that this was an at will employment on both parts and you can dismiss him/her with or without cause, that being said, I would hire whichever candidate struck me as the best suited employee for my company. You said that during the interview you could not tell the difference, you can always tell if the individual seems like someone you would like to hire or not, and obviously, this person has a conscience, if they didn't they would not have put down on paper what could ultimately dismiss them from employment.
if the candidate mentions this, you can persue it and learn what type of mental illnes is involved and if it has been resolved. you don't want to hire someone who mentally unstable to work in an area that might cause harm to him/herself or others. if the employer hires someone who is a danger to others, and he knew there was a potential for danger, he becomes liable in a court of law.
max
This person may be a keeper because of their honesty. I would think most people wouldn't reveal such personal information.
Mental illness encompasas a broad spectrum of problems. It does not mean the person is not able to perform a job. They might have bipolar disorder controlled by meds. They might have suffered a nervous breakdown during a time of personal crisis that had nothing to do with their ability to hold a job. They may be obsessive/compulsive.
We all have some sort of mental quirk. It's just a matter of degree. Look at people who spend hours on here answering questions. That's a form of obsession. One person even said he cuts out of work early to come home and answer questions.
No,I would not rule that person out because he put that he had a mental illness on his application. I'm not sure what type of questions you can legally ask about it in an interview, but you might probe further to find out if and how it affected his work performance and if it is currently being treated or resolved.
I would give them a chance, but after further questioning. Then again are you doing it out of pity. The candidates should be given an equal opportunity. Not because you feel pity for them, after all they chose to give you that information. Maybe there is a good reason behind it and they are willing to discuss it with you. That's why they put the information there.
Provided that the person volunteers the information, the employer should find out what the mental illness is and whether or not it will interfere with job performance and productivity. Secondly, the employer must determine if failure on the part of the prospective employee to take his or her medication at any given time would pose a risk to job performance and productivity. Risk management is an important practice of any good business and choosing a prospective employee that poses the least risk in this scenario would be the most appropriate choice for the employer.
just because they have a mental disability doesnt mean they cant do the job right. Give them a chance if they have what it takes for the job.. I thought when you get a job theres this like 90 day time frame that you are being watched. If it doesnt work out tell them you have to let them go.. Giving htem a chance maybe what that person needs to get better..
I would go more on Personality if they had same quailifications etc. This is obviously an honest and open person if they are willing to volunteer this information to you. YES I think I would give them a chance. people with mental illness also tend to have much more depth in personality, I think because they are more sensative and caring people. that has been my experience with others who have mental illness. in this day and age most mental illnesses can be managed well with proper medication. chances are if they were REALLY unstable then they likely wouldn't be applying for a job. they would likely be on SSI Disability. that person could just turn out to be your best employee. Who knows until you give them a chance. if they are a problem then you could always let them go.
it depends on if it hinders you from doing the required work. it will happen to me
I'd hire the healthy person to mitigate my risk (at least potentially). No need to open myself up to having to deal with issues if I don't have to (time off, poor behavior, etc).
Then again, one has to be mentally ill to work for the company I work for - so no harm, no foul.
as long as the mentally ill person can control his/herself mentally then by all means pick him/her
It would be on a case by case basis. Wouldn't have an across the board judgement call, although I would be very wary.
You make them sound equal, except one claims mental illness that is not obvious. Makes me wonder if the mentally ill person isn't a scammer looking for disability. I'd hire both of them as private contractors for consecutive one week terms and see who was best.
Give them a chance. Most people get treatment or Meds to fix their Mental Health Disorder. They can do it! and the Job!
More Questions and Answers
- Would you loose your sense of taste if you smoke too much?
- do you prefer blondy or black?
- Can u get pregnant when u are not ovulating?
- Do you think women with dreadlocks are beautiful?
- i need to make a workout plan to gain 20 pounds of muscle and increase size and strength. suggestions?
- Should we stop an exercise when the muscles burn?
- did you know that you are probably drinking fertilizer instead of milk!!?
- What about drinking milk makes you lose weight?