Handicap discrimination law: what does the statute imply?

Sections 503 and 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act are at issue in various recent court actions. More litigation is to be expected in defining a "qualified handicapped individual" and in determining whether the statute implies private right of action for employment discrimination.

The pre-employment inquiry guide

In recent years, government regulation of both EEO and affirmative action has grown rapidly. As a result, the road to hiring an employee is strewn with pitfalls for the unaware and the uninitiated. This practical guide, written for the practicing personnel manager, takes account of the latest government directives in the field and should prove a valuable tool for anyone involved in the business of hiring.

An interpretive review of the federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures

This article clarifies the complex implementation process of the federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures.

Implications of the new EEOC guidelines

How can employers exercise their right to select employees without running afoul of the new guidelines? Are interviews best? Pencil and paper tests? "Nonrandom selection procedures are inevitable for most jobs," says Dr. Thomas Dhanens, a management psychologist. "Therefore, employers will always be open to charges of discrimination or favoritism from some quarter. Organizations that avoid their responsibility for examining and validating their selection procedures will be forced into a costly catch-up effort before long." The author shows employers how to collect data systematically, analyze job functions, evaluate applicants, record data, handle performance appraisals, maintain records, and identify priorities. Since a lack of data is no defense in an EEOC action, Dhanens suggests that these are the minimum steps wise employers should follow.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973--its impact on employee selection practices

The employee selection practices of private and public enterprises that contract with the federal government or receive federal financial assistance have been subjected to extensive regulation by the agencies administering sections 503 and 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which provide protection to qualified handicapped individuals. The author discusses the nature and significance of these restrictions and gives practical guidance on compliance. She cautions that the enforcement powers of the agencies administering the Act--the power to cut off federal funds, debar from future contracts, award back pay, and provide equitable relief--make it necessary for employers to show good faith and proper justification when a decision is made to reject a handicapped person for a job or a promotion.