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The region’s employers have been warned to make sure they have a thorough recruitment and interview process, including keeping accurate records of why candidates were unsuccessful.

The warning comes from Roythornes’ Phil Cookson who was commenting on a recent decision by the European Courts.

The case involved a Russian national who unsuccessfully applied on two occasions for a position for which she was qualified.  She claimed race, sex, and age discrimination and requested information on the successful candidate, which the firm refused. The Tribunal agreed that the firm did not have to release the details, but said that if it did not, their refusal may be considered as part of a wider discrimination investigation.

Phil commented:

“The fact that the Tribunal said that the information could be used as part of a wider investigation reinforced the fact that any information recorded as part of the recruitment process could be requested.  It’s critical that employers make full records on each candidate including why they feel they are unsuitable candidates. 

Simple measures such as scoring candidates against job criteria can provide a valuable and objective record that can be referred to at a later date if required.”