Sam’s Blog: Is Hiring For Diversity A Question Of Ethics? 

• • 12/9/2009 9:18:02 AM
  • Peter
  • Its a question of Culture Fit
  • I believe that hiring based off of diversity is not solely an ethical decision. Agencies and insurance companies have more of an ethical obligation to hire based off of 50% skill set and 50% culture fit - that is a higher ethical standard that the insurance industry should hold itself to. The issues of diversity should not be limited to race, religion, and demographics but also to what the agent can bring to the organization - are they diverse in their leadership style for example? Also, ask, "If we hire this person will we diversify our knowledge base or expertise?" Before an agencies decides to hire someone that is of a diverse background it is important for the employer to understand the company's culture and core values, "Will this new hire add to or take away from our founding principles?" Often, it is not asked if the recruits will "be a good fit for the office atmosphere." 50% Culture Fit & 50% Skill Set I have seen success when human resource issues base their practices off of this 50-50 procedure. If the candidate would be a wonderful fit culturally but lacks the skill set necessary to complete the job then there is really no obligation to hire this person. The same holds true if the candidate has the greatest skill set of all the interviewees but lacks the core values that are important to your office then your current employees may dislike working with him or her. Again, diversity should work in conjunction with and not opposed to your internal and external environment and the companies mission and vision.

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