Is a job application form allowed to ask me...

[Abitlosttoday]

I am applying for a job with a charity. The application form asks about caring responsibilities, specifically asking who you're responsible for - children, elderly people, disabled children etc. There is an option 'prefer not to say.' Is this OK for them to ask? The same form also asks questions about class and socio-economic factors - parents' jobs, whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether you went to state school etc. This seems really off to me. I feel like I might be penalised for not being working class enough (mum was a teacher), where in fact we were very, very skint at all times because she was single and she had a shocking endowment mortgage. Anyway, I am just wondering, given they're definitely not allowed to ask these questions at interview, why is it OK to ask them in the application?

I am used to NHS application forms, which ask about sexual orientation and race, but not class or caring duties. What do you think Mumsnet mind? Should I select 'prefer not to say' and be done with it, or does that seem cagey?

I am an overthinker at times. So there's that too!

Yes. If it's a separate DEI form. It would then be sorted separately and anonymised used for future positive action like outreach, wording of ads etc.

You can always click prefer not to say

Seems a bit strange. Surely they could have asked do you have any relatable experience.

Is it a charity for food banks etc where this is relevant?

It should be clear on the form that this information is not for the job application process but for them to use to monitor/analyse things to do with the equality act, diversity and so on. The interviewer or assessor shouldn't see that information.

If you answer "prefer not to say" it should have no impact on the application process.

I presume that this is an EDI monitoring form rather than the application form, so it won't be used as part of the selection process. If that's the case, then it's absolutely fine for them to ask but you can choose not to answer if you wish. It won't make any difference either way.

Yea … it’s an EDI form, a number of Publicly funded organisations will ask the same questions. It’s not used to work out your suitability for the post.

It helps the organisation monitor how diverse they are and guide strategies to enhance diversity. The recruitment panel won't see it or likely care about it.

This sounds like an extended version of the DEI survey questions, to include social mobility and disability questions - so they are never seen by the person assessing the application, but detached and used, anonymously, by HR to help measure how they are doing at attracting the widest range of candidates. This might well be a requirement of their funding. It won’t affect your chances at all.

The civil service asks these questions now as well. We get asked them on an annual basis in the people survey. It isn't to penalise you for not being middle class - quite the opposite. It's to make sure they are recruiting from all social classes and to monitor how many staff are also carers. The recruitment panel won't see the information - it's for HR purposes. If you dont want to answer, just say prefer not to say, but it won't affect your chances.

The only issue I have with these forms is when they ask
"Did you receive FSM? " or about benefits and have no "not applicable - grew up abroad" option.
No, Yes, I don't know are not correct answers in my case

'Prefer not to say' to anything I can. I don't want to be part of them recruiting me to hit a quota of anything. I want to get a job because I'm the best person for that job

Well, lucky for everyone, in UK they cannot hire someone just to hit quotas if there are better candidates

If it’s integrated into the application so that your answers to those questions are known by the people reviewing the application then it’s not ok unless the role is one where it has been determined that there is a legitimate reason for requiring or excluding specific protected characteristics.

If it’s a separate, anonymous form which is collecting data for monitoring purposes then it’s fine but you still don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.

That really isn't how it works though.

It's a DEI form. just say prefer not to say if you like - won't impact your chance at the role. Source: work in a charity and hiring

I think this is part of the issue - it's all one relatively (compared to the NHS versions) simple Word doc. I am used to the EDI being a separate form or web page to fill out. Call me cynical but I can imagine a smallish charity just passing the full form back and forth between HR and the department heads where the role is.

That's not legal in the UK. It's not about quotas it's about, for example realising that the interview panel only seems to be hiring old white men, and then reviewing practices to try to challenge them when the statistics show they are unfairly biased.

I work in this sector. If it's an EDI form it's to monitor diversity in the workforce. It wouldn't put me off as there is huge effort in the sector to accommodate needs compared to other sectors (which I have also worked in). I would actually see it as a positive that they are making the effort to diversify their teams.

Yeah, I can see why that’s making you wary. It may be that they remove the DEI page before the application is passed to anyone for consideration but it’s usually a separate page.

You absolutely don’t have to answer these things. I rarely do, because I’m aware that a couple of my own characteristics are frequently causes of discrimination (having young children and ADHD doesn’t fill some employers with confidence). If I had any concerns that the DEI questions weren’t completely anonymised I wouldn’t fill them in.

Some will be questions they ask to see whether their hiring process is skewed towards a particular age, sex, class etc. It should be a separate, anonymised document rather than part of the job application form. However, some charities will see it as a negative if you don't have what they refer to as 'lived experience', so there may be questions to identify whether you have the type of lived experience they require.

This is not what this is used for and it’s laughable that you think being disadvantaged is now an employment advantage.

Are you one of those types who thinks straight white men are hired on the basis of merit-selection but everyone else is not?

It should be separate. I wouldn't like it all in one doc and would email the hr pointing out this is actually discouraging applicants they should encourage to apply.

They will separate it out before passing it on to be sifted.

I sift applications at work sometimes and we only get the personal statement and CV copied into a PDF, we don't even get the name of the candidate.

It may be that the charity has additional requirements to record a wider range of equality information than the 'standard' EDI due to conditions in specific funding streams they access. That information may have to be aggregated and reported to their funders.