I found it rather funny when i read many of the postings on the topic here..
yes i agree, the HR is question did not frame the question well, but even I ask this question to all lady candidates... in most industries today, we just dont have the cushion of asking people to join and go on a paid maternity leave within 3-6 months...
what makes the comments "funny" is the line of thought that kids are still God's blessings... hello.. in the SEC A segments (where our BPO execs belong), GOD doesn't give children.. kids happen because you decide to have one.. as a counsellor.. i ask many a patient if they are financially ready for a child, if they are emotionally ready for a child, if they are infrastucturally ready for a child... etc.
come out of this bourgeois mentality.. if you are going to take a job just to go into a maternity leave in 6 months time - it is YOU who is being unethical by not disclosing the intent at the time of interview..
From India, Bangalore
yes i agree, the HR is question did not frame the question well, but even I ask this question to all lady candidates... in most industries today, we just dont have the cushion of asking people to join and go on a paid maternity leave within 3-6 months...
what makes the comments "funny" is the line of thought that kids are still God's blessings... hello.. in the SEC A segments (where our BPO execs belong), GOD doesn't give children.. kids happen because you decide to have one.. as a counsellor.. i ask many a patient if they are financially ready for a child, if they are emotionally ready for a child, if they are infrastucturally ready for a child... etc.
come out of this bourgeois mentality.. if you are going to take a job just to go into a maternity leave in 6 months time - it is YOU who is being unethical by not disclosing the intent at the time of interview..
From India, Bangalore
THIS is unethical and illegal too... Prabha, if you can reasonably prove that your demotion was due to your pregnancy status and not based on your work... pls go ahead and take your company head on.. you can even consider legal action..
as for wishing you luck.. wish you all the luck in life and motherhood! God be with you.
regards
Arnab
From India, Bangalore
as for wishing you luck.. wish you all the luck in life and motherhood! God be with you.
regards
Arnab
From India, Bangalore
Hi Rose,
I agree with jaspalsingh, we should also think from employer side.
I think the lady who interviewed you took the interview in professional manner, don't take it personal, but she should have asked you in an indirect way.
I agree with jaspalsingh, we should also think from employer side.
I think the lady who interviewed you took the interview in professional manner, don't take it personal, but she should have asked you in an indirect way.
Hi Prabha, Its really unethical to do such things. If you can prove it we can eradicate such things to not to repeat.
Dear Rose,
The question is very much ethical and genuine.
You may feel hurt.. but please put yourself in the employer's shoe, then you will know the purpose of that question.
Suppose you recruit somebody for a crucial position and immediatley after joining, she asks for a maternity leave... just imagine what will be your reaction.
Don't bring sex here. Even the candidate is a male and if I see any chance of him taking a leave ( due to exams, marriage, etc. ).. I am sure I am not going to recruit him.
So... all is well here. Be professional, don't exagerate the situation and please don't give the issue a sexist angle.
Regards,
Ajay
From India, Chennai
The question is very much ethical and genuine.
You may feel hurt.. but please put yourself in the employer's shoe, then you will know the purpose of that question.
Suppose you recruit somebody for a crucial position and immediatley after joining, she asks for a maternity leave... just imagine what will be your reaction.
Don't bring sex here. Even the candidate is a male and if I see any chance of him taking a leave ( due to exams, marriage, etc. ).. I am sure I am not going to recruit him.
So... all is well here. Be professional, don't exagerate the situation and please don't give the issue a sexist angle.
Regards,
Ajay
From India, Chennai
Dear Rose,
According to me it's not Unethical question,Why ? Must be they are looking candidate(Female) who would be regular without leaves,See company's concerns with female specially when they would have children then they should have for 3.-6 months time(Maternity leave), where company have to look for subsitute,And thats why they are concerned at prehiring stage.
Regards
Amit
According to me it's not Unethical question,Why ? Must be they are looking candidate(Female) who would be regular without leaves,See company's concerns with female specially when they would have children then they should have for 3.-6 months time(Maternity leave), where company have to look for subsitute,And thats why they are concerned at prehiring stage.
Regards
Amit
Wow! I am amazed at the different points of view on this question. The reality is that employers have to make the choice on who they consider will advance their business objectives with minimal interruptions and/or costs.
I'm thinking how I would have approached the issue. Let's see:
What are the factors in your family that are likely to impact on your work performance over the next year or so?
Can you tell me what are some of your personal and/or family goals and their how they fit it with your career goals.
Explain your expectations of our company on work/family balance
I think it goes oe say that tact is a key factor to HR practitoners - the same question can be construed as ethical or unethical depending on how it is put across.
I have a HR friend who now has the uphill task to regain the trust of her management team after she failed to disclose she was pregnant at the time she was being hired and had to take her leave less than a year after she got hired. In my experience I have had to deal with issues related to handling employees HIV/AIDs status - and it can get seedy if you do not make it clear that your concern is more about performance than stigmatizing or discriminating an employee.
Soni.
From Kenya
6I'm thinking how I would have approached the issue. Let's see:
What are the factors in your family that are likely to impact on your work performance over the next year or so?
Can you tell me what are some of your personal and/or family goals and their how they fit it with your career goals.
Explain your expectations of our company on work/family balance
I think it goes oe say that tact is a key factor to HR practitoners - the same question can be construed as ethical or unethical depending on how it is put across.
I have a HR friend who now has the uphill task to regain the trust of her management team after she failed to disclose she was pregnant at the time she was being hired and had to take her leave less than a year after she got hired. In my experience I have had to deal with issues related to handling employees HIV/AIDs status - and it can get seedy if you do not make it clear that your concern is more about performance than stigmatizing or discriminating an employee.
Soni.
From Kenya
Hi
Ya it is unethical to have a question like this in the interview but when a HR person is taking ur interview may be a male or female they can ask any questions. It is not important that they ask u questions related to ur profile they can ask anything. The main thing is that they are checking ur stress level. How much u can jhelo the stress. n how u r replying the answer. I can share with u one incident where to a student the HR pannel ask a question that i have heard that ur mother is a postitude. If any one heard this then all of us better understand the situstion or what the candidate feels. And the reply by the candidate was : If u heard that my mother is a postitude then the only a customer is my father. So by listening this we are mentally prepare that any thing can be asked the matter is how we reply. So plz be mentally prepared for the interview.
Regards,
Rupal
From India, Bhopal
Ya it is unethical to have a question like this in the interview but when a HR person is taking ur interview may be a male or female they can ask any questions. It is not important that they ask u questions related to ur profile they can ask anything. The main thing is that they are checking ur stress level. How much u can jhelo the stress. n how u r replying the answer. I can share with u one incident where to a student the HR pannel ask a question that i have heard that ur mother is a postitude. If any one heard this then all of us better understand the situstion or what the candidate feels. And the reply by the candidate was : If u heard that my mother is a postitude then the only a customer is my father. So by listening this we are mentally prepare that any thing can be asked the matter is how we reply. So plz be mentally prepared for the interview.
Regards,
Rupal
From India, Bhopal
Hi Rose,
I went through a similar experience sometime back, I went for an Interview at Alps Management Consultants and it was the most horrific experience I had till date. The HR was a male and he kept asking me the same question over and over again, he asked when I am planning to get married and when I was planning to have kids. He kept pressurizing me to answer that question. I was 23 then. He even went a step further to bitch about all the female employees, according to him, female employees can only perform till they don't get married after that they lose focus. I could not stand that and I left halway through.
regards
Manju
From India, New Delhi
I went through a similar experience sometime back, I went for an Interview at Alps Management Consultants and it was the most horrific experience I had till date. The HR was a male and he kept asking me the same question over and over again, he asked when I am planning to get married and when I was planning to have kids. He kept pressurizing me to answer that question. I was 23 then. He even went a step further to bitch about all the female employees, according to him, female employees can only perform till they don't get married after that they lose focus. I could not stand that and I left halway through.
regards
Manju
From India, New Delhi
So now I got to learn one thing, if you are married, planning to get married, have kids, etc. Do but fake your HR about it. And after 3-4 months of joining when the HR resists you taking leave for 3-4 months, threaten the HR both inside company with legal action against harassment for maternity leave, and outside the company @#@$% the HR, and @#$#$$$.
Then may be these HR will learn a lesson.
From India, Pune
Then may be these HR will learn a lesson.
From India, Pune
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