Re: Job Requirements (was Ethical Companies)

Subject: Re: Job Requirements (was Ethical Companies)
From: Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 00:46:23 -0800 (PST)


--- Sue Ellen Adkins <sea -at- best -dot- com> wrote:
> My only comment is that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is
> designed to prevent discrimination against disabled employees.

I never said that people with disabilities should be excluded from their job.
Illegal discrimination is illegal. But, I also believe companies have a right
and responsibility to set expectations and requirements for a job. And the
people who do not fit those requirements should not be considered for
employment.

A job is not a right. Its a job. And firms need the ability to establish
reasonable work expectations. I don't think there is anything terribly
unreasonable or unusual about asking an writer to be able to stand to give
occasional presentation.

I also don't think it is fair to take, honest discrimination issues such as
race or sex and try to equate them with reasonable job expectations. Not
getting a job because you're Hispanic or a woman is discminnination. Not
getting a job because you refuse to stand-up to give presentations is a very
different thing.

> Possibly this is because we are accustomed to having the presenter
> standing. This is for a technical writer; I don't know any writers
> who make a lot of presentations.

That doesn't mean they don't exist or that it is unreasonable to ask for that.
I gave many presentations back when I used to do tech writing. So you know at
least one now.

> This is true only if the requirements are relevant to the job. It
> isn't any more legal to require that writers be able to walk than to
> require that writers be male--if the only reason for the requirement
> is that people are more comfortable working with them.

How do you know it isn't relevant? Not every firm has the same definition of a
technical writer as you, or me. Moreover, There is a wide gap in reasonability
between asking employees to be male vs. asking them to give presentations
standing up.

Andrew Plato


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Job Requirements (was Ethical Companies): From: Sue Ellen Adkins

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