NCJ Number
118446
Journal
Security Management Volume: 33 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1989) Pages: 53-58
Date Published
1989
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Employers' ability to hire honest and qualified employees has been unduly restricted by new laws and government regulations.
Abstract
Similar laws and regulations have restricted employers' rights to discipline or terminate employees who have committed illegal acts on the job or otherwise violated their employers' trust. The consequences have been harmful not only to employers, but also to their customers, their trustworthy employees, and the public at large. One source of expanded restrictions on employee hiring and firing is organized labor's effort to exercise veto power over employment, disciplinary, and termination decisions. Another source of restriction is an obsession with a concept of personal privacy that prevents employers from identifying dishonest and incompetent employees. A third source of undue restriction on employer's efforts to upgrade the quality of their workforce is policymakers' zeal to prevent discrimination toward a person who has a sordid past. This has led to restrictions that prohibit employers from identifying applicants' past criminal conduct, including their illegal drug use. These restrictions can result in unjust financial gains for dishonest employees and advantages for employees unwilling to comply with guidelines for workplace productivity.