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I assume this was for a supervisory position or an HR position? These aren’t really politically charged questions but rather questions about how to manage peop

I assume this was for a supervisory position or an HR position? These aren’t really politically charged questions but rather questions about how to manage people and the issues that come with people. While the cause of the complaint may be politically charged, how one would handle the situation should be pretty by the book.

Aeolun 7y ago
Even if the book is wrong?
- crooked-v 7y ago
  "The book" in this case starts with legal obligations under the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment act, etc. A milquetoast 'well, I treat everyone equally' doesn't even come close.
  - AlexB138 7y ago
    How is treating people equally "not even close" to complying with those laws? I feel like I'm misreading to your comment, but it seems like treating people equally is exactly the point of those laws.
    - crooked-v 7y ago
      If a person is interviewing for a supervisory or HR position, there's a lot more involved than just their personal behavior, and even with personal behavior, just saying "I treat everyone equally" in a blandly shallow manner suggests a lack of experience with or thought about clashes of perspective in an organization. Or, to use an analogy, consider interviewing someone who, when asked about their preferences and strategies for ensuring code quality, answers "I just write correct code in the first place". Even if they're correct in that statement, that's not the sort of person you want in charge of that subject, because most people don't work like that, even if they wish they could.
- sailfast 7y ago
  No, not if the book is wrong obviously . In this interview case, however, you’d want to be pretty specific about where you thought those flaws might be and suggest ways to make it even better. By “the book” I meant a well thought out process that follows the law, protects parties in a dispute, prevents retaliation, encourages reporting, and is well documented and understood. I’m probably missing a bunch of other best practices - not a certified HR Specialist. My only aim here was to distinguish between disputes that arise in politically charged areas vs. the handling of those disputes which, I would argue should not be charged at all but rather an efficient run-through of a dispute process that “works”.
barry-cotter 7y ago
Just to be clear you’re explicitly saying that the law says that in a workplace context you should treat people differently based on whether or not they’re in a protected class. Not the same, differently? Because the entire point of the law on protected classes is that people should be treated the same regardless of being a member or not of a protected class. Non discrimination, not discrimination.
- username90 7y ago
  You aren't allowed to treat protected groups the same. If you have a group of men and one of them say he is treated unfairly then you are allowed to ignore it. If you have a group of men and one woman, and the woman say she is treated unfairly then you are not allowed to ignore it.

Aeolun 7y ago

Even if the book is wrong?

crooked-v 7y ago
"The book" in this case starts with legal obligations under the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment act, etc. A milquetoast 'well, I treat everyone equally' doesn't even come close.
- AlexB138 7y ago
  How is treating people equally "not even close" to complying with those laws? I feel like I'm misreading to your comment, but it seems like treating people equally is exactly the point of those laws.
  - crooked-v 7y ago
    If a person is interviewing for a supervisory or HR position, there's a lot more involved than just their personal behavior, and even with personal behavior, just saying "I treat everyone equally" in a blandly shallow manner suggests a lack of experience with or thought about clashes of perspective in an organization. Or, to use an analogy, consider interviewing someone who, when asked about their preferences and strategies for ensuring code quality, answers "I just write correct code in the first place". Even if they're correct in that statement, that's not the sort of person you want in charge of that subject, because most people don't work like that, even if they wish they could.
sailfast 7y ago
No, not if the book is wrong obviously . In this interview case, however, you’d want to be pretty specific about where you thought those flaws might be and suggest ways to make it even better. By “the book” I meant a well thought out process that follows the law, protects parties in a dispute, prevents retaliation, encourages reporting, and is well documented and understood. I’m probably missing a bunch of other best practices - not a certified HR Specialist. My only aim here was to distinguish between disputes that arise in politically charged areas vs. the handling of those disputes which, I would argue should not be charged at all but rather an efficient run-through of a dispute process that “works”.

barry-cotter 7y ago

Just to be clear you’re explicitly saying that the law says that in a workplace context you should treat people differently based on whether or not they’re in a protected class. Not the same, differently? Because the entire point of the law on protected classes is that people should be treated the same regardless of being a member or not of a protected class. Non discrimination, not discrimination.

username90 7y ago
You aren't allowed to treat protected groups the same. If you have a group of men and one of them say he is treated unfairly then you are allowed to ignore it. If you have a group of men and one woman, and the woman say she is treated unfairly then you are not allowed to ignore it.