Essay Sample on Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit

Brief Description of the Lawsuit

An educational services company in New York, the Special Education Associates Inc., was forced to settle a sexual discrimination lawsuit by paying an employee $57,000 in damages and lost wages (US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2018). According to the complainant, she was interviewed and hired by the company CEO, who subsequently asked for a date with her. However, after she declined the date, the CEO reversed the decision to employ her. She filed a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was settled by requiring the company to pay the employee $57,000, in damages.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Selection Criteria and Relevance to Organizational Needs

The Special Education Associates Inc. used interviews as selection criteria when seeking candidates to fill the vacant position. An interview is an appropriate method of employee selection since it enables the interviewer to ask direct questions, and observe non-verbal cues, to determine whether a candidate is appropriate for a position. The employer is able to assess the organizational needs, and determine whether the candidate being interviewed possesses the competencies needed to fulfil the role. Employers are expected to hire employees on merit, and to determine one's suitability to a position based on work experience, educational qualifications, or other criteria that may be deemed necessary by the company.

Criteria for Selecting Employee in the Lawsuit

In the lawsuit against the Special Education Associates Inc., the CEO used sexual discrimination during the selection process. Instead of focusing on the selection criteria and offering employment based on suitability of the candidate to the job, he reversed the employment decision after the woman declined his sexual overtures. This act is not only unethical, but it is illegal, since it is against professional ethics and the law (Becker, 2017). Moreover, it does not serve to advance the interests of the company, since employees will not be hired on merit, and they may not be able to perform their duties effectively.

Legal and Ethical Issues Relating to Employee Selection in the Lawsuit

The company CEO acted unethically by reversing the employment decision based on sexual discrimination. By reversing this decision after the female employee declined his sexual advances, he acted unethically and breached the code of conduct, as well as company policy for the Special Education Associates Inc. The professional code of conduct bars any form of discrimination at the workplace. Moreover, his actions are illegal since the constitution prohibits any discrimination based on one's gender or sexual orientation (Becker, 2017). This is the main reason why the plaintiff won the case against the Special Education Associates Inc. If the CEO was not held accountable for his actions, he would have sexually harassed female employees in the workplace, under threats of terminating their employment, if they failed to comply with his wishes.

Impact of the Lawsuit on Human Resource Management

The lawsuit is important since it sensitizes employers and other people in positions of authority, that they should not take advantage of women, by preying on their vulnerabilities in the quest for seeking employment opportunities. It proves that employers who sexually discriminate against employees shall be held accountable under law. The lawsuit also inspires employees to seek employment opportunities without fear of being harassed by employers since the law protects them. Moreover, the lawsuit protects organizational interests by ensuring that companies hire qualified candidates for job positions advertised, as opposed to employees who serve the personal interests of employers.

References

Becker, G. S. (2017). The Economics of Discrimination. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2017). Education Company to Pay $57,000 to

Settle EEOC Sex Discrimination Suit. Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-8-17.cfm