Should Political Views be Reason Not to Hire with Bianca Lager of Social Intelligence Corp

It is very possible to share the same core values, yet differ in our religious or political views. This, we must understand when hiring new people.

Now you might be thinking something like “we have a really harmonious team and we don't want someone who will be bringing their strong political, religious or social agenda”. Then build the practice into your corporate values and let it blossom throughout the company.  

After all, we are all servants to the “business”. And what is good for the business is innovation, diversity and growth.  All of which are fueled by proper value alignment.

Our guest today: Bianca Lager, President of Social Intelligence Corp.

By driving the vision for Social Intelligence to provide productive, ethical and innovative solutions, she has spent her time working closely with Fortune 500 companies and non-profits alike to create safe and discrimination-free workplaces. 

Bianca obtained an MBA from Pepperdine University with a concentration in Dispute Resolution and is a LinkedIn Learning Instructor. She is an expert in consumer reporting, focused on online risk for human resources. 

Today we discuss:

Valid reasons not to hire based on a person’s social profile
How to properly use a social media background check to limit your company liability

What are the challenges with conducting a social media background check

Violating privacy rights by doing it yourself
Fed and state laws regarding politics in the workplace 
Whose standards are you using
Is it related to business outcomes
Is it fair to the person or the company
Context is key

Why is this important to the company?

Disqualification based on personal views does not lead to better business outcomes and could be discriminatory
Culture fit -
Diverse teams
Or single mindset
Business suffers

Code of conduct standards 
Avoid someone who is disruptive to the business
Limits the success of the company

Who are we or What are we not?
What is hate speech - how do we define and document that? 

Rick’s Nuggets

Difference in opinion among people who can communicate (agree to disagree) produce magical results
unintended consequences 

How do we implement a proper social media check? Do NOW!

Review laws in your jurisdiction/jurisdiction of your employees 
Create a policy
Risk - what is actionable 
Definition of what is acceptable code of conduct 
Stay away from protected class information
Age, race, sex, religion, political affiliation 

3rd party solution - defines content and behavior appropriately and consistently 
Violence: 
Intolerance: 
Criminal activity (drugs / stealing):
Sexually explicit: 

Well documented and legally vetted business related behavior 
Fbi, Anti-Def, SPLC

Actionable
Legally defensible position

Rick’s Nuggets

Preparation is key for everyone that you invite into your organization. 

Let your Values policy be known to everyone
Crystal clarity from the minute they are engaged in the interview process
Hire for value alignment first

Key Takeaways -Value:

Formalize your social media screening approach
Create a simple, 2-3 sentence social media policy based on a basic code of conduct
Document and stay consistent (Documentation + consistency + policy = Actionable)

Links:

SI Podcast Offer - receive a free sample report along with discounted pricing offer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancacalhounlager/

Websites: https://www.socialintel.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialintelligencecorp/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/socialintelco

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BiancaLager

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialintelco/

 

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/