Equality bill challenges use of health questionnaires

The use of pre-employment health questionnaires as part of an employer’s recruitment process has been called into question by a recent amendment to the equality bill.

The amendment, tabled in the House of Lords, will prohibit employers from asking candidates about medical issues before an offer of employment has been made. This will outlaw the use of pre-employment health questionnaires as an applicant screening tool at the recruitment stage.
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School