DNA Testing and Terms of Employment
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Would you volunteer a DNA sample as part of a job application? - Thousands of university graduates will be moving into the job market in a matter of weeks and, for some, this will be a part of the job application process.
Some people who look for work see this as just part of the process, similar to a background check which is required for some jobs. Others look upon such a requirement as a huge intrusion of privacy. For example, in the foreseeable future, it may be possible to look for genetic markers as pre-determinants to certain diseases. The firm that is hiring may not want to take that health risk and invest company resources in an employee who ‘might’ be ill with ‘this disease’ in the years to come. It would be less of a burden on their insurance and human resources if the employee was a better health risk. Therefore, employment might not be determined solely by ability or university grades. Your DNA profile and the tales it tells may be a determinant.
There are arguments that DNA can be used as a passive identifier, much like a fingerprint. This is a valid argument to a point. Both a DNA profile and a fingerprint are unique. However, a fingerprint is not a predictor of future possibilities. For example, your fingerprint is not going to be a predictor of Alzheimer’s Disease, where as possible unique genetic identifiers might be valid predictors.
From an employers perspective, it is economics. The healthier employee taxes the company coffers less. In the future, might some employer say to the job applicant: ‘We like your potential. Your grades are terrific and your references are excellent. However, your DNA is just not what we are looking for at this time’.
Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/
[tags]dna testing, employment, illness, privacy, economics, jobs, catherine forsythe[/tags]
9 Comments
Steven
April 3rd, 2007
at 3:30pm
This is disgusting and ridiculous. There is no legitimate reason for a company to want a potential emlpoyee’s DNA. Most of the reasons that companies are salivating over amount (rightly so) to illegal discrimination.
Dave
April 16th, 2007
at 4:23am
Right On….such intrusion is unnecessary.
If I may paraphrase - FREEDOM, that which the people take for granted that the government simply takes…
Louie
April 16th, 2007
at 6:07am
EEO will really have fun now. Since some employers feel they must have your DNA deos that mean you must be given a copy of the results. If the results show a propensity towards negative health can you file a discrimnation suit if you don’t get the job ? It does go both ways
RICHARD
April 16th, 2007
at 7:35am
I’M OLD.
I’VE TURNED DOWN GOOD JOBS IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BECAUSE OF A PEE TEST. WITH MY SKILL SETS I’VE BEEN HIRED AS A CONTRACTOR ANYWAY (at much more $’s).
CATHERINE & STEVEN HAVE THE RIGHT OF IT.
Dr Byron Ioannou
April 16th, 2007
at 9:11am
The begining of the end….
degaz
April 16th, 2007
at 9:16am
Yea… I’ll give them a urine and stool sample too… right on their desk.
Sentinel
April 16th, 2007
at 9:35am
Excellent! A growing culture of pissed-off, rejected, “substandard” humans. Science fiction made fact, thanks to big business and insurance companies. I can’t wait fro my personal rocket car and household robot!
pcwiz...
April 16th, 2007
at 2:34pm
Well, in the life insurance world, they already collect DNA samples if you purchase above a certain $$ amount! They want to be sure they are insuring a healthy horse!!! :D
However, for employment? NO WAY!!! Sorry, I’ll pass on that, it’s bad enough to have to take a physical and pee in the bottle! Oh, my, is it the right temperature??? Or did you collect it from the toilet water!! Ha! Idiots… HR is such a racket… I think I’ll go to law school, so I can make money off the DNA class action suits that are sure to come!!!
Cheers! 8)
pcwiz…
The_Karn
March 13th, 2008
at 2:28pm
This will happen, and nothing will change until it does happen.
Insurance companies will start to do this before anything changes, when they finally do start to do this, people will realize that over half of the population wont be able to get insurance either because they are rejected, or the premiums are so high they wont be able to afford it.
but people wont do anything about it until it happens, because the big problem i see around here is that people complain, complain, complain, but never do a thing about it.