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April Blach

Walter Swartz

MGMT-368

December 8, 2018

Case Study: 5

After reading the case study, I do not agree with companies using a personality test to

determine if an individual is right for a job or not. I feel like people have the right to their

privacy and that potential or current employers do have the right to ask or collect personal

information about current or prospective employees. Even though these tests are

nondiscriminatory and race, gender, and ethnicity of the applicant has no significant impact on

the score (Shaw 460).

I think that individuals have the right to their privacy and that anything they do on their

own time outside of work is no one's business unless they freely make that information available

to everyone (Shaw 436). To keep our personal information private, you need to make sure that

you control your information while limiting who has access to your information and whom they

may share it with. Lastly, you should always keep specific thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to

yourself so that others don't see or hear them. People value being able to make certain personal

decisions autonomously. We seek to preserve and protect a sphere in which we can choose to

think and act for ourselves, free from the illegitimate influence of our employers and others

(Shaw 436).

Companies often wish to determine whether prospective employees are emotionally

mature, get along well with others, have a good work ethic, and, more generally, whether they

would fit in with the organization, so they sometimes administer personality tests (Shaw 442). I
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think that personality test to decide whether a person is a good fit for the company or whether

they get the job or not isn't always the most accurate way to find the best candidate. The

company I work for was bought out by a big corporation two years ago, and when the sale was

final, they started implementing that all employees take this Gallup test. They told us it was only

to help us determine what our top five strengths are and how we can use those strengths to

further our career path within the company. But what the company did not tell us is that we were

being evaluated individually to see if we were a right fit for the company and if we had the same

values. They only required office staff, production supervisors and managers to take this test.

After everyone took the test, our new owners started to lay off individuals across those jobs and

condense the different layers of management. I worked for the production floor and was not

required to take the test, but everyone was informed that if anyone wanted to apply for any new

positions within the company that he or she had to take the Gallup test. This new rule has caused

a lot of current employees that weren't required to take the Gallup test yet hesitant about applying

for new positions because they do not want to lose their jobs and they do not feel like the

company is being honest about why they want employees to take the test in the first place.

The only test that I agree with when it comes to applying for a job is a drug test. I think

that drug test is essential when it comes to the hiring process because if an individual is using

drugs, they are a potential liability to not only to the company but to other employees and

possible customers. Drug testing raises questions of test reliability and job relevance. Companies

must also consider whether drug testing is essential and, if so, design such programs to respect

the rights and dignity of employees as much as possible. They must also determine how to

respond appropriately to individuals who fail the test (Shaw 444). When I applied for my original

position with the company twelve years ago, they informed me that I would be required to take
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and pass a drug test before they would officially hire me. The drug test was the only test that I

was being required to take, and my interview consisted of only job-related questions. If they

would have required I take a personality test I may have reconsidered applying for a job with the

company. I think that my personal life and choices have nothing to do with my abilities,

ambition, and work ethic. The only conditions that would make me consider taking a personality

test are if I was applying for a high-level management position. I think that managers have to set

an excellent example for all of their employees and things that they do outside of work may

impact how there are seen and respected by their staff.

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Works Cited

Shaw, William H. Moral Issues in Business, 13th Edition. Cengage Learning, 2016