PSYC 101 TEXTS COME IN HANDY WHEN HIRING NEW WORKERS TODAY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 9, 1992                   TAG: 9202070066
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LISA SWIRSKY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
PSYC 101 TEXTS COME IN HANDY WHEN HIRING NEW WORKERS TODAY
Trait psychology and conative testing are words that have begun creeping into work place vocabularies. That's because more employers are turning to psychological testing as a tool for hiring and promotion of workers.
Also, faced with increasing discrimination and harassment litigation and rising loss due to employee theft, area companies see psychological tests as a way to determine in advance of hiring who will make good employees.
There are more than 3,000 psychological tests on the market today, according to Bob Breen, a consultant for East Coast Leadership, a Roanoke management consulting firm. They range from tests that determine honesty of individuals to those that measure their aggressiveness.
Moore's Lumber and Building Supplies is one of a growing number of Roanoke Valley businesses using psychological tests. In addition to administering a drug test, Moore's screens job applicants with questions designed to examine how they would approach tasks.
"I believe in testing," said James Boutilier, the lumber and hardware retailer's vice president for human resources. `'And those of you who don't should consider it," Boutilier said to about 20 human resources managers of local companies at a recent seminar sponsored by East Coast Leadership.
"It is just a tool that allows us to match a person to an appropriate task," he said.
Moore's began its testing program until 1987 and so far is pleased with the results, Boutilier said. "Now that we can recognize the way people work differently we can diffuse conflicts," he said.
Psychological testing is controversial because it subjects employees to yet another examination beyond the drug and health tests many companies require. Together it begs the question of how much employers have to know about workers.
"I think that if a test can measure ability and effectiveness it should be used but if it is not a clear application to the work place it could be an invasion of privacy," said Grace Fitzgerald, an instructor placement coordinator for Fifth District Employment and Training Consortium, a Roanoke organization that instructs welfare recipients and directs them to career counseling.
Psychological testing has taken criticism for what some perceive as its potential for discrimination.
"The test can work to an employee's disadvantage . . . The test must be culturally unbiased," Fitgerald said.
But Breen said the need for testing has never been greater. `'The 1990s is going to be the most litigious decade ever," he said. "Companies will have to protect themselves from making costly mistakes."
Discrimination could pose the largest problem for companies that use psychological testing. The law says a test can be considered discriminatory if its outcome has disparate impact on protected groups, said Agnif Chakravorty, an attorney for the Center For Employment Law.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB