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13 Emp. Resp. & Rts. J. 1 (2001)

handle is hein.journals/emprrj13 and id is 1 raw text is: Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1, March 2001 (© 2002) Selection in the Workplace: Whose Rights Prevail? Mary L. Connerley,'? Richard D. Arvey,2 Stephen W. Gilliland3 Fred A. Mael,4 Ramona L. Paetzold,5 and Paul R. Sackett6 The selection process involves a very difficult balancing act for employers who have to weigh the rights and concerns of applicants, current employees, the organization itself, and society as a whole. Each of these perspectives brings with it its own set of concerns and issues that need to be considered in the broader hiring arena. Applicants assert the right to be treated fairly while being evaluated for a position; current employees assert the right to productive coworkers who will not harm them on the job, organizations assert the right to hire qualified employees while remaining cognizant of the legal issues that surround the hiring process; and society as a whole asserts the right to a process that benefits the greater good. But, with each of these groups pursuing these rights, an important question arises as to whose rights prevail when there is a conflict. This paper, through the use of a true scenario, explores the difficult balancing act between rights and concerns of applicants, current employees, organizations, and society as a whole and discusses whose rights should take priority when they conflict. KEY WORDS: selection; privacy rights. WORKPLACE PRIVACY IN GENERAL Although privacy rights have always been a concern, there is currently an increase in interest in privacy issues. This increased interest can be seen from a wide range of par- ties. First, applicant perceptions of fairness have been found to be important in job pursuit intentions (Arvey & Sackett, 1993; Gilliland, 1993). Thus, if applicants feel their privacy has been unnecessarily invaded during the recruitment or selection process, those who have other options, probably those most qualified, are more likely to show their displeasure by pursuing other organizations. Second, employees' awareness of privacy issues seem to be on the rise paralleling the increase in technology and electronic workplaces (Ganft, 1995; 1Department of Management, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. 2Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 3Department of Management and Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 4American Institutes for Research, Washington, District of Columbia. 5Department of Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. 6Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 7To whom correspondence should be addressed at Department of Management, 2007 Pamplin Hall, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061; e-mail: maryc@vt.edu. 1 0892-7545/01/0300-0001/0 © 2002 Plenum Publishing Corporation

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