Page 29 - GBC Spring 2021 English

The hiring process is an exciting time for job seekers as well as golf course owners/managers. Amidst that excitement, however, owners/ managers may overlook the oppor- tunity to minimize potential liabili- ties through effective hiring practices and well-drafted employ- ment contracts. This article outlines best practices for all engaged in recruitment and hiring.
HIRING PRACTICES
Successful owners/managers prior- itize hiring top talent. After all, your profitability and productivity will depend on the quality of your employees. The following are important considerations to take into account for your hiring practices.
HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS
During the hiring process, owners/ managers cannot discriminate against job candidates based on protected characteristics. In many provinces, for example, protected characteristics include a candidate’s age, citizenship, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, to name only a few.
Owners/managers may also be unable to make certain state- ments or ask certain questions during the hiring process, regard- less of whether those questions ultimately influence the hiring
decision. For example, owners/ managers in Ontario may violate human rights laws by:
• stating in a job posting that only
female applicants will be consid-
ered for beverage cart positions; • attempting to establish rapport during an interview by asking a candidate about their children or
cultural background; and •requiring a candidate to prove that they are a permanent resident of Canada or that they are permanently eligible to work
in Canada.
STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS AND MULTI-PERSON PANELS
Before interviewing candidates, owners/managers should ideally develop a list of questions along with a marking scheme that identi- fies the desired answers. The questions and answers should be targeted to the job’s essential duties. Each candidate should be asked all of the questions on the list, as this will establish an objective basis to compare and contrast each one. In addition, the interviews should be conducted by a multi-person panel that reflects the diversity of the workplace.
This approach will reduce the risk of violating human rights laws as well as the risk of making subjec- tive decisions based on potentially
Golf Business Canada 29