Question

Ethics in Accounting and Business Question

Believe it or not, some accounting and financial service Firms perform a multitude of screening tests during recruitment, including drugs testing and lie detector tests. Some Firms go further and screen work emails and phone calls. Where do you think companies/firms cross a line, if they do at all? Why? Is monitoring of Employees good corporate governance practice?

Answer 1

-As an employer ,while hiring an employee, various screen test and process may be done so as to hire the right candidate for your business. But in saome cases the legal riles and reulations and the industry norms and standards need to be followed while doing screening test for the job applicant.

-Before testing the job applicant, employer must consider the restrictions imposed by various federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

-Some of the secreen test that may be considered while recruitment are-

• Achivement test
• aptitude test
• physical ability test
• personality test
• honesty test
• lie detector test
• Drug tests
• medical test etc.

-These test to be done as per the requirement of the job and should be esured that no violation of legal rules and anti-discrimination policies are breached.

-Screening on work emails and phone calls are a part of achivement test. Suppose a job vacancy for customer relationship requires that the employee should be able to write professional work mails and attend the calls of the customer professionally may require work mail and call ecreening test.

-Some screening test like lie detector test and drug test are to be done as per the legal reuirement and job requirement only.For example lie detector test should be reserved when they are absolutele needed like-

• Jobs where employees have huge access of money
• carrying guns etc.

-Under Employees Polygraph protection Act (EPPA), most private employer are prohibited from requiring, requesting, causing and suggesting the job aplicant to take polygraph test. Some state place additional reqirement as how lie detector test to be administrated. Simliar case is for drug test also.

-Hence overally screening or testing the employees according to the requirement of the law and the job is a good corporate governanace. But doing unnecessery test and tests against the legal requirement is not a good coporate governance. Employers must take into cosidertion the requirement of the job, the legal rules and regulatins and the legal advice befor choosing the appropriate screening test.