This will further influence the hospital's image and future activity. Eventually, the person held responsible for any possible damage is the HR manager.
The HR manager also has the alternative of reopening the search. But this does not mean that the outcome will be different. It is very unlikely to find a more suitable candidate for the job than Dr. Soysa and with less issues of debate.
As a consequence, the HR manager would find himself in the same situation as before. Even more, extra resources will have been wasted for another search. He would also have the financial aspect to explain.
In my opinion, the HR manager should hire Dr. Soysa as the new nursing director, despite the search committee's opinion. Communication is very important in this situation. The HR manager should try to change the search committee's beliefs on Dr. Soysa.
He should emphasize the fact that not hiring Dr. Soysa because of her weight and age is considered discrimination. This may draw legal consequences. The hospital's image might be altered.
The first thing that the HR manager, the search committee, and the hospital's board of directors should take into consideration is represented by the well-being of the patients. For the hospital's patients it does not matter how the nursing director looks like or what his or her age.
In order for things to go well at the hospital, the nursing director must have impeccable professional background. Obviously, the most qualified person for this position is Dr. Soysa. If the HR manager hires Dr. Soysa and the board of directors does not agree with this solution, the HR manager's decision is supported by the candidate's outstanding credentials and professional background.
The resources that Dr. Soysa possesses and that would help her deal with the problems are represented by her accomplishments: the advanced exams she took, the college she early graduated from summa cum laude, the advanced graduate work she successfully completed.
Dr. Saryn is also considered to an articulate person and her experience is appropriate...
The references she presented also denote she has the skills, the personality, and the sense of responsibility that are required by this position.
In other words, Dr. Saryn has the skills required by this job, not just the experience. The search committee's members feared that Dr. Saryn might lack such skills and that this would represent an obstacle in doing her job. But their opinion is clearly not grounded on real facts.
The HR manager holds the power of decision in this case. The search committee's job is to search and to select prospective candidates for the hospital's nursing director position. They must also analyze candidates' resumes and verify their credentials and references.
But the decision is entirely up to the HR manager. Of course, he should take into consideration the search committee's recommendations and to discuss with the members his choices of candidates.
The HR manager must make proof of great tact and diplomacy in this situation. He cannot take a completely opposite stand to that of the search committee's members. Even if the decision is up to him, the HR manager must not impose his decision on the search committee's members.
This would mean that he does not take into consideration the search committee's job and recommendations. Instead, the HR manager should try to convince the search committee's members that Dr. Soysa is the best candidate for the nursing director position and he should try to focus their attention on her qualities and not on the causes of distress. He should also draw their attention towards the fact that they are discriminating the candidate.
Reference list:
1. Understanding Workplace Discrimination (2009). All Business. Retrieved April 12, 2009 from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workplace-health-safety-employment/1317-1.html.
2. Workplace Discrimination Charges Soar in 2008 (2009). Industry Week. Retrieved April 12, 2009 from http://www.industryweek.com/articles/workplace_discrimination_charges_soar_in_2008_18710.aspx.
