application form requesting childcare providers details? surely not right?

Spendless

Zazen999 wrote: »

It is.

Because as soon as you answer it; they can make decisions based on the responses.

Also, it has nothing to do with the company a person's childcare arrangements; if your work called up your childcare and said 'can Mr Cow work late next Wednesday' without your permission you would hit the roof.

mrcow wrote: »

Again, what a massive (more likely incorrect) assumption. Where have they indictated that this is their intention?

From the OP's other thread that she mentions in her opening post that she posted in Employment

thanks for the info.I just find it strange that they want the childminders details! TBH i am reluctant to give out these details as she is on holiday until Monday, but i have been told without these details they will not progress the interview (I am not leaving the form filling to the last minute they got lost in the post and the new ones only came this morning).

Apparantly it is due to the fact that 'on occassion' i may be required to work until 8pm and they basically ring her to see if she will offer me these hours...well, urm no she wont but my kids have grand parents, aunts, uncles and a father that would when the needs arise.

To me that makes no sense. When I've used formal childcare I have used a private nursery and an after school club. They have fixed closing times. So what do they do with people who use these, not process their application form further?

daska

mrcow wrote: »

No they haven't. That's an inference that you have made yourself. Perhaps they wanted the details in case of emergency. You have no idea for the reasons of asking. Any assumptions you make trying to guess said reasons are just purely speculation. You can't state with any level of absolute certainty.

If this went before a tribunal the company would have to justify that question was justified, appropriate and necessary. The company would have to justify only asking about 'child' care and not specifically asking about any other commitments that might affect the prospective employee's ability to work antisocial hours e.g. elderly/ill parents, adult offspring, siblings who the prospective employer might be responsible for etc.

Even if the application form offered free childcare in the employees home to cover antisocial hours and asked whether the applicant would want to take advantage of this it would still potentially be indirect discrimination unless the company could justify that they needed that information at the time the application was made and not after the job had been offered.

Mupette

End of the day, they want to know they can rely on you and if they can't they will choose someone who is more reliable, depends how desperate someone is for a job in this climate.

If you are desperate for a job and have the childcare, tell them childcare is sufficiant, no point kicking up a stink and loosing a job

Zazen999

Spendless wrote: »

From the OP's other thread that she mentions in her opening post that she posted in Employment

thanks for the info.I just find it strange that they want the childminders details! TBH i am reluctant to give out these details as she is on holiday until Monday, but i have been told without these details they will not progress the interview (I am not leaving the form filling to the last minute they got lost in the post and the new ones only came this morning).

Apparantly it is due to the fact that 'on occassion' i may be required to work until 8pm and they basically ring her to see if she will offer me these hours...well, urm no she wont but my kids have grand parents, aunts, uncles and a father that would when the needs arise.

To me that makes no sense. When I've used formal childcare I have used a private nursery and an after school club. They have fixed closing times. So what do they do with people who use these, not process their application form further?

I knew I'd read it somewhere; this is what happens with duplicate threads!

Again, not many people on here would want their employer checking their childminder before additional hours are arranged...

And yes, they have said that if you do not complete the form then they do not progress the application.

Spendless

Zazen999 wrote: »

I knew I'd read it somewhere; this is what happens with duplicate threads!

Again, not many people on here would want their employer checking their childminder before additional hours are arranged...

And yes, they have said that if you do not complete the form then they do not progress the application.

No I meant what do they do if you fill in your approved childcare provider and it's somewhere like a nursery or asc that finishes at 6pm.

Do they ring up Tiddly Tots nursery or Large Rogues asc and say 'we are processing Spendless' application form can you tell me if you can provide childcare till 8pm?'

Childcare Provider 'no, we close at 6pm'

Company 'Thanks, application form in bin'

That's why it's pointless to me them asking childcare providers details, the only formal childcare providers I know of that are flexible to cover evening work are nannies and some childminders. Asking if you are able to work to x time on occassions -fine, wanting to know the details of your childcare provider isn't.

Zazen999

It's not pointless if you are hoping to screen anyone with kids....which is why it is discriminatory