Articles in Class

Today we discussed different articles on Human Resources. I was surprised at how many organizations struggle with these issues. It seems like they are often publicized in a negative way, steering the blame at the business. Although, one student's article was about a man who applied at Hooters, simply looking for a lawsuit. When the Judge sided with Hooters (aware of the man's intentions in applying for the job), they said that Hooters has the right to hire employees with certain characteristics. This is confusing to me because other businesses can't even hire based on color of skin. As far as I'm concerned, every business should be an equal opportunity employer based on skill. Now Hooters can continue their hiring practices, while other places must settle with less than qualified employees. My article was on a Hospital in Tennessee which would not hire tobacco users. Most people in my group agreed with the Hospital. While this decision looks good on paper, my feeling is that it may backfire. It is generally not fair to discriminate against people in any way. It will be interesting to follow this story and to find out if there is a lawsuit by someone who is trying to quit smoking, and is simply using a patch or chewing the gum.