50 Case Studies for Management and Supervisory Training

Case 34: Accidents Happen

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Case 34 (continued)

Case Discussion:

Accidents Happen

Summary: Part 1—Selecting the Best

Betsy Wheeler supervised the 4:00 p.m. to midnight shift of six key-punching operators at

American Security, Inc. This work required a high level of performance (at 150 items per hour).

Betsy had started in this department five years ago. While she liked the work, she was now facing

a difficult problem concerning a recently hired employee, Bob Jenkins.

Two months ago, Betsy had to hire someone to replace an operator. She was told by Personnel

that Bob was a good candidate and that he had a disability and used a wheelchair. The Personnel

interviewer told her that Bob had received extensive training by the State Rehabilitation Department.

Before the start of her shift, Betsy met with Bob briefly. She did not ask many questions and

let Bob describe himself. He was finishing his associate’s degree at a local college and he needed

a night shift job to help him finish. He also indicated that he had a colostomy (removal of a por-

tion of the bowel, which required him to wear a collection bag for his waste matter). In response

to Betsy’s question, he said he had no transportation problems.

Even though Bob was the only applicant she talked to, she liked him and offered him the job.

He began work the next week.

Answers to Case Questions

1. Given Bob’s disability, what kinds of questions should Betsy have asked during the

interview? What legal considerations exist?

The main legal framework applying here would be the Americans with Disabilities Act, which

prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. As a general rule, Betsy

should ask no questions about Bob’s disability.

Instead, the focus of Betsy’s selection procedure should be to determine if Bob is qualified and

able to perform the essential functions of the job. In this case, the essential functions of the job

would likely be key-punch data entry. She could also inquire whether Bob would be able to

meet the attendance requirements.

2. Evaluate how well Betsy interviewed Bob and completed the selection process.

Betsy relied on Bob and Personnel to assure her that he had the skills needed to perform the

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ob. She did not probe into his training or experience background in these skills, however. I

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general, her interview and selection procedure was poor.

3. What kind of selection procedure should Betsy have used in order to identify the best

candidates for her data entry position? Design a complete selection process.

There are four important steps to the selection process that should be completed. Note tha

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Betsy should follow this procedure for all applicants for the position. Those steps, in approxi-

mate order of occurrence, are as follows: