Case Study - Discriminatory Hiring or Smart Management?

Jasmine Mohanned, aged 62, had applied for a position in the meat department of a grocery store. She had previous work experience as a customer service clerk at Tim Horton's, and as an assembly line worker at a pickle factory that had closed recently due to a sudden consumer shift away from pickles. During her interview, the supervisor indicated to her that she was a very good candidate based on her previous work ethic and positive attitude.She was asked to take a medical form to her physician and to bring it back when she came the following week for her second interview with the store manager. When she returned the following week, the manager met her in the lobby of the store. He mispronounced her name, scowled, and then asked her how to pronounce it properly.The manager then took the form from Jasmine, and noticed that the medical form indicated that Jasmine had epilepsy, that was under control with medication. Her physician had indicated that she rarely had seizures. Before the interview formally began, the manager looked at Jasmine directly, thanked her for coming in, and stated that the position had already been filled. He did note, however, that they would keep her application on file. When Jasmine returned home, her partner advised her to go straight to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. However, Jasmine decided to call you, a human resources consultant who specializes in human rights issues.

What are the possible grounds of discrimination evident in this case?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the three elements would the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario review when considering whether they had jurisdiction in this case?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the most likely finding in this case?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What possible penalties or remedies could the Tribunal impose?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What advice would you provide to the employer?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________