Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

Ariadna Luna Jimenez
Walden University

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

Every human is different from the others of his specie, phenotypically and genotypically.
Nature is amazing and its creations are the result of a coordinate biological process; the most
beautiful and complete creation is the human being. Sometimes diverse factors like accidents or
bad health conditions can damaged the organism and produce what we call disabilities. The first
ever World report on disability, produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank, suggests that
more than a billion people in the world today experience disability. (World Health Organization,
2014). This means the 15% of the whole world population.
Defining the term disability is not as simple as people think; it is more than problems for
move or talk. Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and
participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity
limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a
participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life
situations. (World Health Organization, 2014).
Many of the obstacles people with disabilities face are avoidable and the entirely
disability disadvantages can be overcome. Instead of what stereotypes had showed, persons with
disabilities have rights and potential to play a role at a job as well as the capability of taking their
own decisions.
According to present time, the 21th century, each human being is equal to its others, the
same rights and possibilities. Starting from this it is precise to say that people with disabilities
can get a job.

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

Hiring disabled individuals
Companies are now considering this part of the population as promising members of its
organization. The 2014 DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities
1.

EY

2.

Procter & Gamble

3.

Boehringer Ingelheim

4.

IBM

5.

General Motors

6.

Wyndham Worldwide

7.

WellPoint

8.

The Hartford Financial Services Group

9.

BASF

10.

AT&T

The number one company on this list, EY, has been a long-time leader in this area. The
firm has developed guidelines for hiring and working with people with disabilities. Its resource
group for people with disabilities, called AccessAbilities, is very active with educational
messaging, cultural-competence training and communications. (DiversityInc, 2015)
Walgreens and Habitat International
Two more examples and unlike enterprises which now days are hiring people with
disabilities are Walgreens and Habitat International.

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

Walgreens which is the largest drug retailing chain in the United States and Habitat

International which is the leader in supplier of artificial-grass and indoor-outdoor carpet products
for The Home Depot, Lowes and other retailers.
Making decisions about human resources is not a simple job; each future member of the
organization may have some characteristics but Walgreens and Habitat International went
through these kind of stereotypes and make the decision of include those persons who are not
very often hire for working: disabilities persons.
Employing disabled individuals is not like giving charity. These people should be
consider as equals as not disabled persons. The key is, according to David Morris, focus on the
things they can do and not in what they cannot (Henderson, 2013).
What motivated the managers of these two companies to begin this hiring practice?
It is true that disable employees need more time and effort on training but the results are
guarantee that it deserves the extra energy. The benefits are invaluable: no turn over, extremely
low absenteeism, built-in quality control, and an extremely dedicated workforce. Employees are
not trying to get out of work but rather take pride in what they do. (Henderson, 2013). This
means, loyal employees. By the other hand, while a company is giving the opportunity to grow
as a person to this population, the enterprise is also eliminating social prejudice about
disabilities. This a win-win relation because the company production does not suffer any changes
(no need for more investments, same time, same conditions) when disabled individuals are
involved in normal activities and they earn the same money that someone on the same plant
who is no disabled.

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

What impact, if any, has the practice of hiring and training employees with disabilities

had on operations and management decision making?

The first thing to consider is the reaction of the non-disabled employees when they have
to interact with disabled employees but, when the commitment to including disabled employees
starts at the top when it is managers decision- it eliminates prejudice in the plant. (Henderson,
2013). So, the first best step should be to take the resolution of hiring not because a social
responsibility. In this way, the next organizational decisions may not suffer bigger changes than
usual because the manager is not thinking in the disabled personal like a problem to deal or a
difference to include. The impact can be mostly seen in values and ethics; can be consider as a
bridge which take you to the real world where there is not everything about money. It I also an
occasion to develop skills.
Which of following is more compatible with the policy of hiring employees with disabilities:
1) a short-term focus on profit, or 2) a long-term focus on profit?
A long term focus on profit is compatible because hiring disabled individuals require a
little more of things like training time and money, which is not so bad. By focusing solely on
profit, you destroy your company's long-term growth and may even diminish its short term
potential. So, hiring employees with disabilities makes no difference in the goals or the profits, it
is just an investment on training and infrastructure that will make good changes to the company.
There are some ways to improve and achieve the enterprise aims. The empowerment can
be a solution to accelerate the process of long-term focus on profits. The individual is often
called the cornerstone of capitalism. By empowering the individual, decisions can be made more
quickly and efficiently. Employees are the best judges of how to make their own jobs easier and

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6
more efficient. By giving them the power to do so, overhead can be reduced and morale
increased. (Not Just for profit, n.d.)
Should these companies rethink this hiring policy? As far as I am concern, hire disabled
people represents more than one good thing. The inclusion of the population that mostly does not
have opportunities talks about the management team moral and social responsibility; you are
giving chances to find a meaning of life and money support. A dedicated, open minded
management team can do for its company more goods by hiring disabled individuals, the
question is, how? Even is this persons cannot work so fast they inspire to those one who are
more productive to work harder. This policy makes a social care environment where the disables
add something cheerful to the daily work.
About security, Walgreens uses the same equipment for all its employees and they all
have security assistance in case of accidents. (Henderson, 2013) It is only needed correct
capacitation.
By the contrary, every enterprise should think about adopting this policy.
Has the hiring practice positively impacted the shareholders of these companies and society
in general? It has impacted the CEO, the co-workers and the society. The disabled population is
often alienated, giving chances for integrity and social presence is more than a little happiness.
Hiring people with disabilities is reducing the prejudices of the society, they are now seen as
individuals who can do the same things in the same way with the only difference of time. Their
rights as human beings are being listened and normal people is training values like empathy.
When the Walgreens CEO visited Habitat International that was the moment where
Walgreens decided to start a new story. Hiring the disabled is not just as good as hiring only the

Ethics in Diverse Hiring Practices

typically-able, it is better. Not just because it makes good business sense (which experience
shows). Not just because it transforms the lives of the disables (which it does) and offers
opportunities they might never otherwise have. It is better because of its positive impact on all
employees, especially those without disabilities. (Henderson, 2013)

In conclusion, the policy of employee different persons has reduce the distance between reality
and our bubble pink world. They represent a new business environment where moral, ethics and
values are applied in every situation. And they all are part of what we call diversity.

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References

DiversityInc. (2015). Obtenido de http://www.diversityinc.com/top-10-companies-people-withdisabilities/

Henderson, N. (2013). Foreword. In N. Henderson, Able!: How One Company's Extraordinary
Workforce Changed the Way We Look at Disability Today (p. 263). USA: BenBella Books
Inc.
Not Just for profit. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.notjustforprofit.org/
World Health Organization. (2014). World Health Organization . Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/