HR Industry News

Employers want more rights to quiz women on chances of pregnancy

— 28 April 2008 —

Research has indicated that UK bosses are becoming increasingly wary of employing women who are likely to become pregnant.

According to research carried out by the Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), 68% of employers would like more rights to quiz candidates about their family plans. Nearly 90% of the 1,100 bosses surveyed would feel cheated if a candidate started and announced several weeks later that she was pregnant.

Questioning of this sort if banned under the Sex Discrimination Act, but ELAS stated that there had been a rise in cases of new starters falling pregnant, and just 1 in twenty of those surveyed said that they would hire a pregnant candidate.

Anna Grandidge, HR Manager at Ceridian, added that "managers involved in the recruitment process need to take care when questioning candidates and not just pregnant women, to avoid getting involved in inappropriate questioning. Managers should consider using a standard set of questions to avoid the pitfalls of asking questions which could be deemed as inappropriate. This will also ensure that the selection process is robust, consistent and fair. Prospective colleagues are much more aware of their employment rights and although candidates coming for an interview are not employed by the Company, they can still make a claim for discrimination if they feel they have been treated unfairly.

"In an increasingly competitive market for skilled employees, prospective employers should also consider that they are potentially halving their pool of candidates by disregarding candidates who 'might' become parents! As Companies compete for skilled employees, those diversifying their workforce and offering flexible working packages are more likely to attract and retain their employees."

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