TAKING IT TO THE FIELD 1/0 psychologists, while not lawyers, are sometimes asked to provide information about the legality of a hiring process. While this text is not intended to teach you the details of employment law, it is helpful for you to recognize the key problems to watch out for in a selection system. You have been speaking with Mr. Marshall recently regarding some questions he has about his selection system. You have just received the following e-mail from him: Hello again- Per our discussion on the phone, I think I would like to get some input from you about whether I need to make any changes to my selection system. Of course, I will also be consulting with a lawyer, but input from you would be very helpful Here's the background of my problem: I own several pork-processing plants. We have roughly 10,000 employees nationally, primarily based in the Midwest. One of the positions that we need to hire for regularly is in the slaughterhouse, Processing the carcasses is physically demanding work, and many people we hire cannot perform the work effectively for very long. Thus, we end up having to fire quite a large number of employees because of low job performance. Last year, we had 500 Latino American applicants, 200 Caucasian American applicants, and 400 African American applicants. Out of these applicants, we hired 400 Latino Americans, 300 African Americans, and 120 Caucasian Americans. We did not have any Asian American applicants this year. To be hired, an applicant must pass three selection tests 1. The applicant must be low on neuroticism. This is because the job can be quite stressfult we find that people with moderate to high levels of neuroticism typically quit within one week. In fact, we completed a validation study, which indicated that neuroticism and job performance were correlated at-35 2. The applicant must be able to pass a physical test by being able to squeeze a rod with a certain amount of pressure for two minutes straight. This is because the workers must move sides of pork all day, unless workers have a basic level of strength in their hands, they will not be able to complete the job over an eight-hour shift. We also find that our physical test correlates 25 with job performance. We have found that Caucasian Americans tend to have less hand strength than our African American and Latino American applicants 3. The applicant must have at least one year of experience in either manufacturing or DELL To be hired, an applicant must pass three selection tests: 1. The applicant must be low on neuroticism. This is because the job can be quite stressful; we find that people with moderate to high levels of neuroticism typically quit within one week. In fact, we completed a validation study, which indicated that neuroticism and job performance were correlated at -.35. 2. The applicant must be able to pass a physical test by being able to squeeze a rod with a certain amount of pressure for two minutes straight. This is because the workers must move sides of pork all day, unless workers have a basic level of strength in their hands, they will not be able to complete the job over an eight-hour shift. We also find that our physical test correlates.25 with job performance. We have found that Caucasian Americans tend to have less hand strength than our African American and Latino American applicants. 3. The applicant must have at least one year of experience in either manufacturing or meatpacking. It seems that workers who have done this work before are likely to remain in the organization longer. We find that Latino American applicants are much more likely to have experience than any other racial group. So here are my questions. First, do we have adverse impact? Second, are all three of our selection requirements legally defensible? If any of the processes are not legal, what should I do to make them legal? Finally, what additional information would you like in order to help us ensure we are hiring legally? Thanks for your help on this! Regards, John Marshall Respond to Mr. Marshall's e-mail. Note that the important part of this assignment is not whether you believe Mr. Marshall's system is illegal; rather, it is your reasons for thinking it is (or is not) legal.