Should the mentally ill be allowed in the work force? Should all people applying for a job take tests determining whether they are mentally stable? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing mental tests before giving someone a job? Please explain if you think a mental test before employment should or should not be done.
Hey friends =D! Please view this question from all angles, and then choose a side. Thanks for your time!
~!~Cassandra Griffith~!~
17 comments:
I think the mentally ill should definitely by allowed in the work force. Everyone needs a way to support themselves and everyone needs a purpose. There is no reason a mental illness should keep someone from contributing to society. Would it be acceptable to deny employment to someone in a wheelchair? Absolutely not. So what's the difference between hiring someone who is physically disabled and hiring someone who is mentally disabled? That being said, I believe it is important that mental stability testing be given to employees, not only for the safety of customers and other employees, but also for the employer. Since mentally ill employees may have special requirements, an employer should be aware of and ready to handle these needs.
There should be a mentally ill test taken before employment, but that shouldn't be used against the person, depending on how highly unstable they are. If they are just mentally slow learners, then that should be kept in mind and they could be hired to work in the mail room or a simple job like that, but if they are mentally insane then possibly a doctor's referral showing they are elligible for work.
The first part of the question can not be answered with a difinitive "yes" or "no". This is because the term "mental ill" can incompas a wide range of metal illnesses, some of which would not hinder someone from being a productive member of the work force.
I do not believe every job merits a test to determine the mental health of ther person applying. I do believe however that the level of thorouness by the interviewer should reflect the level of responsiblility required by the job. But if every employer were to administer these tests it would not be inappropriot as a mental unfit person will either fail the test or fail at the job; the only difference between these two is that only one person will be hurt by failing the test, while failure on the job could potietialy hurt everyone
-Matt
People with mental illness should be allowed to work in the work force, in the same way that people with physical disabilities are allowed to work.The employer should determine how much the persons health,in every area, would play into their ability to perform a job. I can't imagine a test that would be administered to every potential employee that would accurately predict mental health. It would not be feesible due to the cost of a test that would have enough depth to determine anything helpful. There are certain jobs that profile mental health already- for example police officers. I think there is too much risk for discrimination if a test that is too basic would be used. The potential employees' honesty or dishonesty and employers' ignorance about medications for example,could be a big problem.
Yes, the mentally ill should be allowed in the work force. I think that the people with little a little or more history of mental illness should take some kind of test or even just aking them questions to see if they are stable to work in the particular environment. Doing this could prevent accidents and the company losing money. It could even make the mentally ill person want to seek help.
-Jamie
Yes, mentally ill people should be allowed to work in the force. I think that anyone who applies for a job should take a test to determine if they are capable of doing the job requirements. Doing this could prevent injuries or lose of money.
~Katherine Schluter~
I'm not sure that employers have the right to know how mentally stable a job applicant is. There would definitely be advantages to knowing, but it is personal and may hurt the person applying for the job. Employers may say that they don't discriminate based on the tests, but that probably would not be true. If you had 2 applicants with the same experience and education, one of which was bipolar, which would you choose? The normal one, of course. That is unfair and in many cases may be completely irrelevant to how well someone works. If a worker's behavior becomes a problem, the employer should discuss it with them. If it persists, just fire them. They should wait for it to become an actual problem before judging.
I guess there are differant levels of mentally ill. Some one seeing little green men coming out of the walls, probably shouldnt be an air traffic controler. If they wash their hands more than they should, they would probaly be alright.I don't think every job should require a test. There are some jobs that a test would be a good idea, Police officer, doctor, air trafic controler, just to name a few.One of the advantages would be the fact that you could weed out some of the problem people. One of the disadvantages would be the added cost to the employer. I guess my over thoughts are that in some cases it would be a good idea to test people, and in other cases it would be a waste of time. A good interviewer should be able to detect a problem from the begining.
What kind of mental illness are we talking about? Honestly I think someone is going to be able to tell if the person is mentally stable or not to see if rather or not they should be hired. But, honestly no in most cases of any certain jobs I don't think crazies should be able work.
- Brittany Herring
The mentally handicapped should be allowed to have a job to. Whether we like it or not they are human to and need to provide for them selves just like all of us. As far as taking a test to prove whether we are mentally stable for a job or not that might help our society. If we were required to take a mentally stable test that might get rid of some people who steal from their jobs. Better yet that might get rid of all the men and women that are sexually assaulting children in school. Maybe this is just one way that it could help. Also, it would give the employers more information on what to expect from that person as an employee. Therefore, giving them more information to do a backround check. That is just what I think.
-Amy Albers
I believe that there are some people who shouldn't be allowed to work because of how severe their mental illness is. But I also believe that employers use this theory to not hire a candidate that they think is less desirable. So, a test determining if they are mentally ill would be a good idea, as long as the employer would still be able to offer this person a job in an environment that would suit their needs.
-Laura Henson
mental illness can be defined in many differant ways. I beleive first you must define the job and the type of mental illness. then evaluate whether thay can do the job that they are applying for. That way you will not have the problem of being held liable in case of some tramatic event.
George
I think that the mentally should be allowed only certain jobs. Having the mentally ill in many of today's jobs is a hazard to the rest of society. I think tests that determine mental stability are perfectly acceptable as part of the hiring process. Any employer has the right to know your mental stability to determine whether or not you can handle the job in question. While mentally ill also need to support themselves, the rest of us have the right to a safe and secure workplace which in some cases would not exist with someone who was mentally ill. There is a special place for everyone and many ordinary jobs are not the place for the mentally unstable.
Emily Walch
Mentally ill should be allowed but only in jobs that their illness will not get in the way. For instance walmart greeter, anyone can do that. However jobs that require constant focus or a certain amount of skill they shouldnt be allowed into. Let the mentally challenged unload boxes but dont let them sell stuff is the way i look at it at my job.
- Baji Irwin
I definitely think should be allowed in the work force that's discrimination if the employer won't let them work. I don't think should take tests to determine mental illness before i job i don't think it should be a requirement. i think if they are mentally ill they should of known by know if they go to the doctor. I think they should tell their employer if they do have a mental illness though so that they are aware of it. I do think that if you think something is wrong you should be tested.
Yes, the mentally ill should be allowed to enter the workforce. Not only do most people require employment in order to support themselves, but most people also require the ability to pay for health care that may resolve or control their various illnesses -- mental or otherwise. Barring the disabled from the workforce is sometimes tantamount to barring them from health care that may allow their conditions to improve. In many cases, treatable or curable illnesses might go untreated and/or uncured due to the sufferer's fear of losing his or her livelihood. By barring the mentally ill from employment by law rather than merely by ability, you may not only be robbing them of their livelihoods; you may be robbing them of their very lives.
Screenings would be an incredibly flawed step toward barring the mentally ill from employment. To adequately screen for mental illnesses would be an intense and expensive undertaking, one requiring the assistance and employment of at least one medical professional. Most companies simply cannot afford to screen all potential employees in a manner that is likely to produce accurate results. These inaccurate results could lead to unemployment or underemployment in otherwise capable individuals as well as stigma-induced avoidance of medical treatment as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Screening the mentally ill may prove just as unethical and even more flawed than barring them outright.
Alongside the logistical and ethical barriers to such screenings are legal barriers concerning the release of personal medical information and the right to privacy. If all citizens are truly equal under the law, the medical records of the mentally ill should be as private and as secure as the medical records of cancer patients, AIDS patients, those injured during ski trips, and any other person who seeks medical care.
In my opinion, then, we should not discriminate against the mentally ill merely to allow employers to avoid the expense of providing their health care. To do so compromises the health and safety of the mentally ill as well as the laws and values that define our nation.
--Palabra
Post a Comment