Dive Brief:
- Staffing Network, a Chicago-area staffing agency, is under close scrutiny after being accused of giving preferential treatment to Hispanic candidates over blacks, attorney Jeffrey Rhodes reports for SHRM.
- Sidney Shirley, a contractor who allegedly was denied multiple assignments during 2011-2013, had his day in court after he filed a class-action lawsuit stemming from an EEOC claim.
- The judge in the case (Shirley v. Staffing Network Holdings LLC) ruled that Shirley's allegations were enough to allege that Staffing Network practiced a pattern of referring Hispanic workers to jobs that black applicants were qualified for.
Dive Insight:
The case demonstrates how important it is for staffing agencies to carefully track all assignments to prevent disparate treatment, because they are especially prone to EEOC claims.
Temporary staffing agencies place thousands of qualified workers into assignments every year, and for this they are the lifeblood of the economy. However, there are some agencies that are not careful about tracking diversity in hiring practices.
HR practitioners must be mindful of fairness and leave personal prejudices out of the hiring process. Diversity is a critical aspect of a successful business. Recruiters must protect their organizations by carefully documenting and setting up systems that eliminate the potential for recruitment bias.
