2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Ed Canning)
For Daniel, it started out as just another day at work for him as an HR manager. He was hiring for an open position in the warehouse. He had an interview set up with Bob.
When he sat down with Bob, he remembered he had interviewed him three years before for a position but not hired him. He started asking Bob about his work history since that time. Bob became aggressive and said “Why are you not hiring me? I have all the experience you need.
Is it because you’re racist and don’t want to hire me? Is it because you’re Indian and don’t want to hire people like me?” and gestured to the white colour of his own skin. Daniel, who is second-generation Sri Lankan, was stunned. Bob demanded Daniel “Go get someone that is white to come talk to me.
” Daniel did instead of just telling Bob to leave. He brought the warehouse distribution manager over. From then on, Bob only addressed the white warehouse manager.
He told him he wasn’t being hired because Daniel was racist wanted to hire only Indian people. He also noted his sister worked at the Ministry of Labour and they would be hearing about this. At this point, the senior HR manager noticed Bob was being aggressive and had heard some of the conversation.
She told Daniel and the warehouse manager they should end the interview and escort Bob from the building. They did. At her suggestion they also followed up with a letter telling him he was not to re-enter company property and they filed a police report.
Bob had a very different version of events. He filed a human rights complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. Fortunately or unfortunately, if you fill out the paperwork anyone can do that for free.
The matter ended up at a hearing before an adjudicator. Bob claimed he had suffered discrimination based on the colour of his skin and his sexual orientation. He wanted $5.
8 billion, and the business and assets to be seized by the government and the company shut down permanently. Bob claimed he had sent a picture of himself ahead of the interview and that’s how Daniel recognized him. Daniel said there was no picture sent.
Bob claimed as soon as he got there the “Indian Manager from Human Resources” came charging at him and asked if he was Bob. Daniel refused to meet with Bob and told him to leave, Daniel said Bob was not fit for the company culture and they did not hire anyone who was not Indian. Bob said he gets his eyebrows done and Daniel pointed at his eyebrows and said he didn’t like that, impugning Bob’s sexual orientation.
Although he hadn’t mentioned it in his paperwork he filed with the tribunal, Bob claimed to have taken an undercover person from Revenue Canada with him to the interview. He did that because he believed the company was just pretending to interview candidates and then not hiring anyone like some other companies. The mysterious person from Revenue Canada was never called as a witness to the interview that Bob had said never happened because Daniel refused to meet with him.
Not surprisingly, Bob’s case was dismissed and the company was forced to go through the experience of having three managers miss work preparing for and attending the hearing and paying a lawyer to represent them. For anyone who is in a position of interviewing and hiring new employees, there is an important lesson in this case. No one is expecting you to transcribe, word for word, every interview, but taking a moment to make some notes can protect you later.
If things take a turn and the hairs on the back of your neck go up, make copious notes and sign and date them. A resume and application form do not tell you that much. You never know who is going to walk through the door.
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