Inland Revenue under fire for psychometric testing use in recruitment
Thursday, 15 August 2019
Aspiring Inland Revenue employees are being screened by psychometric testing, but a union is warning of the 'potential harm' the tests pose.
The Government department put a hold on testing staff in late 2017 after the Public Service Association (PSA) threatened legal action over the 'possibly illegal' tests.
Court action never eventuated and psychometric assessment was still being used as part selection processes, Inland Revenue chief people officer Mark Daldorf said.
'Psychometric assessment helps us understand the suitability of someone for a role,' he said.
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'It's only one part of a selection process and is useful for shortlisting candidates for roles where there are high numbers of applicants.'
The tests pose a series of questions – often multiple choice, to assess personality traits – aptitude and problem-solving skills. Personality tests usually have no right or wrong answer.
PSA National Secretary Kerry Davies warned the 'pseudoscience' should not be used as a general recruitment tool.
'In the extremely rare event where it can be justified it should only be performed by a registered psychologist.'
Employers using psychometric testing risk breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, the Privacy Act, discriminating against ethnic and religious minorities, and disadvantaging people with disabilities, Davies said.
'Considering the potential harm, it's difficult to imagine many situations where psychometric testing can be justified.'
Women, and other groups such as Māori, Pasifika and disabled people faced bias and barriers in the workplace, Davies said.
'People need to be recruited on skills, experience and knowledge. Tests that try to identify personal characteristics are fraught with historical and cultural assumptions.'
Agencies have been asked to demonstrate the tests they are using, to ensure they are fair and not discriminatory against population groups.
In Dunedin, about 30 people have been hired to work at an Inland Revenue call centre over the last year, and Stuff understands they were told they would not be employed if they did not pass the psychometric test.
Davies said the PSA would be 'extremely concerned' if any staff lost their jobs as a result of psychometric testing.
'We would view that as an abusive use of the test and would do everything in our power to challenge it. We encourage anyone working for IRD who is concerned about being tested to contact us and discuss their options.'
Daldorf said Inland Revenue had been advertising for fixed-term customer service officer positions, also employing agency temps to perform part of those roles.
Some of those temps had applied for the fixed-term position, with screening assessments – such as psychometric testing – helping choose the right candidates.
'We believe this is a fair way to select those most suited for the role. Thousands of assessments are completed each year.'
The tests, which cost about $40,000 in the last financial year, were only used for level one customer service officer roles and were carried out by an external provider, he said.
Career consultant Chris Eilers, in an opinion piece on psychometric testing, said people should ask the recruiter for a copy of the test if they complete one for a job application.
The assessments were not something an applicant could pass or fail, but they were compared against others who had completed them.
Stuff has contacted other government departments to ask if they use psychometric testing also.