Unbelievable Job Advertisment Fail Whale

Employer told not to post advert for ‘reliable’ workers because it discriminates against ‘unreliable’ applicants

A job center has been slammed for refusing to display an advert for a ‘reliable workers’ – because it discriminated against unreliable applicants.

Recruitment boss Nicole Mamo, 48, tried to post an advert for a £5.80-an-hour domestic cleaner on her local Jobcentre Plus website.

She ended the job offer by saying that any applicants for the post ‘must be very reliable and hard-working’.

But when Ms Mamo called the Jobcentre Plus in Thetford, Norfolk, the following day she was told that her advert would not be displayed.

A Jobcentre Plus worker claimed that the word ‘reliable’ meant they could be sued for discriminating against unreliable workers.

The mother-of-two from Hertfordshire today slammed the situation as ‘ridiculous’.

She said: ‘I placed the advert on the website and when I phoned up to check I was told it hadn’t been displayed in the job centre itself.

The Job Centre in Thetford, Norfolk, said the advert discriminated against unreliable people

‘She said “oh we can’t put that advert on the job points”.

‘She said it was because they could have cases against them for discriminating against unreliable people.

‘I laughed because I thought that was crazy. We supply the NHS with staff so it’s very important for the patients that we have reliable workers.

‘We find jobs for hundreds of temporary staff every week and are proud of our workers but our reputation is at stake if they aren’t reliable.

‘We are taking people off the dole and finding them jobs so not displaying the advert just seems absolutely ridiculous to me.’

Nicole, who runs Devonwood recruitment agency and employs eight people, placed her advert on the Thetford Jobcentre Plus website on January 21 this year.

The job offer, which cost nothing to display, read: ‘Domestic cleaner required immediately. A variety of different shifts available. Must be fluent in written and spoken English for health and safety reasons. Previous experience preferred. Training will be provided. Must be very reliable and hard-working.’

The following day Nicole phoned Thetford Jobcentre Plus and was told by a woman that her advert could not be displayed.

She claimed that the job center could be sued by unreliable people if they placed the advert on their ‘job points’ but told Nicole it will remain on their website.

A spokeswoman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness described the decision not to display Nicole’s advert as ‘ridiculous’.

She said: ‘This situation is absolutely ridiculous – of course people want reliable workers and of course employers should be able to ask for them.

‘If they can’t advertise for what they actually want then the system is broken. They won’t be able to find workers who meet their criteria.

‘In order to have decided that the word “reliable” can’t be used they must have put a great deal of thought and time into it.

‘That time could be better spent getting the right people to apply for the right jobs – which is what this advert was trying to do in the first place.’

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions said:  ‘The advert in question is live on the Jobcentre Plus website intact and in Jobcentres via Jobpoints and worded as the employer requested.

‘Reliability is important to employers, as it is for JCP – and we welcome ads seeking reliable applicants.’

Source:By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:31 PM on 26th January 2010  http://ow.ly/10FcD    dailymail.co.uk