Should Employers Screen Applicants for Problem Gambling Before Employment?

[crzy]

This is another job for HR and probably will not take this seriously and since I’m close to our HR the company I’m working with is not looking for this kind of addiction, they are purely looking for the skills, experiences and educational background in hiring people, gambling history is not their priority because I believe it’s a personal matter though it can only be investigated once the employee is exposed to money transactions in the company, I believe they should be more strict to this one to avoid any problem like this.

[Jating]

This is another job for HR and probably will not take this seriously and since I’m close to our HR the company I’m working with is not looking for this kind of addiction, they are purely looking for the skills, experiences and educational background in hiring people, gambling history is not their priority because I believe it’s a personal matter though it can only be investigated once the employee is exposed to money transactions in the company, I believe they should be more strict to this one to avoid any problem like this.

Yes, skills matter to the hiring company, not if they have gambling addiction or not. But definitely if the job requires you to handle other people's money then there could be some additional test that you have to undergo to test you mentally if you are capable of handling it. However, there could be cases that the individual might be entice on gambling right after he got the job. So that is the tricky part for the company to know in the beginning as gamblers are known to be very good at hiding their addictions.

[dunfida]

This is another job for HR and probably will not take this seriously and since I’m close to our HR the company I’m working with is not looking for this kind of addiction, they are purely looking for the skills, experiences and educational background in hiring people, gambling history is not their priority because I believe it’s a personal matter though it can only be investigated once the employee is exposed to money transactions in the company, I believe they should be more strict to this one to avoid any problem like this.

Other personal things and interest or hobbies arent something that important for any job interview yet they would really be mostly be asking about applicants skills and qualification.It is really not that relevant for them to

ask out such manner since gambling isnt something that should really be prohibited or for someone to avoid to play on because this is really just for entertainment purposes and not some sort of prohibited thing.

Anyone could play freely and it is really just a personal decision or choice whether they would be making themselves addicted to it or not.

[darkangel11]

There were similar threads here. It reminds me of this one where people brought up very similar points.

People won't be honest with employers if they really want to get the job and you can't really follow them or check their browser history. Gambling is a bit like a person's sexual preference. You won't find out about it unless someone is willing to tell you. You can't make them do a urine test or something to find out if they gamble.

[Lanatsa]

There were similar threads here. It reminds me of this one where people brought up very similar points.

People won't be honest with employers if they really want to get the job and you can't really follow them or check their browser history. Gambling is a bit like a person's sexual preference. You won't find out about it unless someone is willing to tell you. You can't make them do a urine test or something to find out if they gamble.

They would only able to know if there are solid evidences or some complaints or reports made by other co-workers that he's doing gambling but in overall it cant really be that possible to know such stuff.
Person would be definitely be denying that they are addicted to gambling or any other things that do connects out about addiction since once we do hear off about this word then it do really create out
that negative vibe which might be the cause for you not to get hired and this isnt what we do like.Just like on what been said by others that this is just for fun and something personal
where others shouldn't really needed for them to know.

[jossiel]

If the position is in the finance department and that applicant will touch funds or budget from the company.

I believe that the HR should filter some questions that will know that an applicant is a gambling addict. It is an important matter to know for the company if their future employee is addicted to gambling or not.

I've seen it on the news about how an addicted gambler spent the fund of a company unnoticedly.

[decodx]

Gambling can be a real problem for some people. They tend to lose control, spend large amounts of money, and lose track of time. People who suffer from serious gambling addictions can have extremely negative impacts on their lives. It can be difficult for an employer to accept someone into a position with such a problem. But, do employers really have a right to ask applicants about their personal habits before giving them a job? I don't think so. An applicant's gambling history is an entirely private matter that shouldn't be discussed or brought up in an interview. It's none of the employer's business what you do with your time away from work.

[Hispo]

I think it would depend on the kind of job the person is applying for.
If they are applying for a job which has to do with management of important quantities of money of others, then I believe it would be okey to screen the person economic story (credit score, whether they are compulsive person, etc.).

On the other hand if the person is applying for a position which there is no way they could damage the company or they are not managing huge amount of money, then there is no need to break into their privacy when comes to gambling and other enonomic habits.

[livingfree]

Your company, your rule.

For those companies that figuring it out what are your hobbies, they can ask questions related to gambling but let it leave to the hiring managers. They should be the one on task doing and finding out who are the addicted ones if there's any.

They can give series of exams to their applicants but in an instance, the serious severe gambling addicts can just lie on those interviews and exams if they're being asked and then they'll still be able to go through the process.

[harizen]

If that employee work in accounting matter and will hand the money for the company that can be asked

Still does not make sense for me to ask that gambling-related question even though the job was within the Accounting field.

Mostly, questions should be related to accounting-related works. That was the most important question to be asked and not the employee's life in reality.

Even if an employee has a gambling-related problem, it doesn't mean that person is totally doomed and can't work well during office house. What if that person is still responsible and disciplined and more likely can still do his job properly without a problem? That's the thing that the employer should look at not those other things not related to work.

Anyway, I don't even know if the such situation really happened. Never in my life have I heard that employers, HR department, or those who are assigned as an interviewer asked such a thing in an interview.

[Doell]

I agree with some of the posts on page 1 how it becomes possible, because an applicant will say no even if he is gambler, because if he says yes then he will not get a job to fill open positions. Gambling is not a bad thing if the person is responsible for his work and personal, by screening workers for that position the thing an employer will definitely look at is skill, but I think in the financial position there is an additional that is honesty.

[Quidat]

Your company, your rule.

For those companies that figuring it out what are your hobbies, they can ask questions related to gambling but let it leave to the hiring managers. They should be the one on task doing and finding out who are the addicted ones if there's any.

They can give series of exams to their applicants but in an instance, the serious severe gambling addicts can just lie on those interviews and exams if they're being asked and then they'll still be able to go through the process.

And that what makes it hard that even a company would really be having that kind of set-up which wouldnt really ensure that they could filter out gambling addicts which as been said that they could
really just simply deny that they are involved with gambling activity or simply being an addict.Its true that this is really just depending on the company owner or whether into its hiring manager
whether he would be asking this matter or would not.For companies which do involves huge money then i would understand if they would reach out into that certain extent
when it comes to these kind of questions which everyone could neither deny or accept about gambling addiction.

[samcrypto]

This is not applicable to every company, imagine if you are just an applying for a lower position and being asked like this, if you are an applicant you should be more aware of data privacy and this is not necessary though the company can really ask for this but still depend on them.

If you are not ok with this one, then better to look for another company where you can feel that they value your privacy and your freedom. Gambling is not bad at all, we can't generalize the problem that happened to your friend OP, many gamblers still know how to handle their finances properly.

[Hydrogen]

I'd like to know your thoughts -  Do you think that employers should screen potential employees for problem gambling before employment?

Some employers do background checks. Which would return prior criminal cases related to a gambling addiction.

Beyond that there may not be a credible means of detecting gambling addiction. For all intents and purposes the background of a casual gambler and addict would look similar.

A push could be made for employers to do more background checks and deter hiring applicants with prior criminal history. But I think that trend is frowned upon.

Its unlikely that employers will implement routine background checks which would screen those with a past criminal history related to gambling addiction.

[aioc]

I'd like to know your thoughts -  Do you think that employers should screen potential employees for problem gambling before employment?

If they had similar issues like this in the past, they can do this as a precautionary measure and if the position that is going to fill in is all about finances they can do this, companies have their own rules it may be intruding on their employee's personal matters but they want to see to it that the character fits the position and they will have no future issues on the person holding the position.

[Yogee]

It will definitely help companies if they could actually screen their applicants but how would they really do it? It's tough since they could gamble privately online or at the convenience of their home. Their best chance is if they see them play on popular land-based casinos but proving that they are heavily addicted is another thing.

[Rengga Jati]

Usually a company has different criteria in terms of recruiting its employees. Some are not strict at all, some are moderate, but some are strict. Of course, this will also usually be proportional to the wages that will be given to the workers. And if the company really relates or is sensitive to finances, then I think it's okay if they make such regulations or collect the information. this is because gambling addiction may be bad for him and his work environment. However, if the person is in recovery or has become good, it's just a matter of looking at the other qualifications for that person, whether it is appropriate and appropriate or not.

[Cryptomultiplier]

I doubt the idea of screening applicants for gambling problems before employment would hold water. Who is to say the same employers don't have gambling addictions?  Digital technology has simplified gambling to the extent that one doesn't have to visit any special spot to gamble, that's not to say one can't visit such places occasionally and try a few spins and stack some real-life odds.
How does one rate an addict, if the signs that show addiction don't manifest?
A better way I think they check if one has gambling problems is by checking for qualms arising from bad debt. You know the kind of deficit that is an open secret. It could lead them to ask an applicant during an oral interview. What do I know?

[Wexnident]

No...? I mean, if employees were able to steal money from their companies, I'm pretty sure they're just that skilled (if you can call it a skill), addict or not. Let's not even mention that identifying an addict in itself would be rather difficult, but in the first place, any employee can steal from their companies if they were skilled enough and they wanted to. These are similar cases related to gambling but there are probably a whole lot more other cases not even related to gambling. I'd rather make companies actually improve their security against outsiders and insiders.

[agustina2]

Does it make everything alright if that kind of question will be asked or being screened to the applicants?

Judge the employee in the way they are handling the work assigned to them. If they do it properly, the companies have nothing to do if that person is having a gambling problem. What if the one who apply was really good at that position but has a gambling problem, is that a reason already that the person will not be hired or being fired?

Sounds unfair and not a friendly approach to me.