My daughter is applying for a job and has to fill in a questionnaire.  Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but to be honest I feel many (most) of the questions are intrusive and unneccesary - especially the in-depth health questions.   There are even questions about the health of relatives!!!!   

Is there anywhere I can check out what type of questions are reasonable for a company to ask in regard to a job application, and what questions are beyond what is necessary and reasonable?    Personally, the last time I was confronted with a similar questionnaire for a job application I told them to keep the job as I felt that the questions were unnecessary and intrusive - especially the health questions!  

Is there any way of finding out how much a company is allowed to pry into your private life? - even before they have given you an interview?

yes they are allowed to pry, i work fo nhs and they have the right to get your medical records from your doctor. this is normal procedure and if you knew how much was paid out in sick pay you would understand why they ask rhem. Its usually insurance companies that ask in depth questions but perhaps the job is covered with some sort of insurance? if your daughter really wants the job then grin and bear it, jobs are hard to find!

They are allowed to ask the questions and you should answer honestly.  Remember though they are not allowed to refuse someone a job because of a health issue or even disability. 

Sara1bee, I have been working as a contractor for nhs and I'm shocked at their lax attitude towards employee sickness.  The policies they have adopted seem to encourage employees to take their 'quota' of paid sick leave entitlement. In fact, I have been shocked at many things I have seen and in fact heard.

Can I just correct you there Sarabee.....

"i work fo nhs and they have the right to get your medical records from your doctor"

Your employers do not have a legal right to get your medical records from your doctor, unless you consent to it. Naturally they do not have to employ you, if they have grounds to believe that you are unfit for work. BUT if they dont employ you they have to justify that there was  genuine reason to believe that you were unfit.  It is the role of the occupational health department to assess fitness for work, and it is to the occupational health dept that any records would go, and NOT to the personell department. this is to avoid people who have no medical qualifications making unqualified judgements. As part of a bullying and harrassment case where I was the victim, I became very ill. I was asked to release my entire medical records to my employer, and I refused on the grounds that there was much information in there that was totally private and irrelevant to the case. I took legal advice, and found out that despite what the HR dept claimed, that they had no legal right of access to my entire records, and that they could not necessarily fire me for refusing. They were only legally entitled to information that was relevant to my fitness for work. Therefore I consented to a report from my gp being sent re the depression. They were not leally entitled to contaceptive records, sexual health records, or anything else unrelated to my absence. IN ADDITION, any person is legally entitled under the data protection act to view a medical report before it is sent to your employer, so that you can ensure that irrelevant information is excluded.

Under the data protection act an organisation is only permitted to hold the minimum of info relevant to the situation and no more. I would ask the OP to consider where the info will be stored. If it is  to be dealt with by occ health, the occ health will not legally be allowed to disclose it to HR, and therefore it is more sensitively dealt with by medically qualified people. If it is going directly to HR, then I would suggest being cautious about the nature of information disclosed. IF they are asking very detailed info, the employers are taking a risk....they could be acused of discriminationg against people with disabilities if they screen out people with health issues prior to appointment, and that is against the law.

I was asked to provide my entire health records, INCLUDING photos of me nude, pre and post breast surgery, which could in no way have been relevant. They would
have been photocopied multiply, and given to at least forty people as part of the investigation into the case, including my abuser. My solicitor ripped my employers to shreds, contacted the chief exec and the Trust solicitor, and the people that requested the records got into a great deal of trouble for risking breaking the data protection act.

In summary, an employer is only entitled to the minimum information relevant, and there is not a carte blanche for declaring your whole personal life to them.

of course they need your permission to get medical records- i realise that! but if you refuse would you get a job? doubtful!

The problem I have with the questions being asked is that they are extremely personal, including sexual/gynaecological health etc and slanted to women in particular - ie. there is no corresponding question about prostate/testicular health ;)  there is also a release question to allow them access to your health records so I really can't see the point of the very in-depth questions re health?   They also ask about childhood diseases and immunisations, any countries you may have visited, they are asking about any minor thing you may have had wrong in any part of your body - ever!   This is a form which will be read by anyone who is involved in the hiring of personnel ;)  it is NOT a job app. for the NHS and there is NO mention of insurance or health insurance.   There are separate questions about disability.

I really feel that the questions and answers are extremely sensitive and I would want to know exactly where and how the information would be stored and who will have access to it, this is NOT stated in the form.

Is there anywhere on the web which will have info on how much an employer is allowed to pry in order to offer you an interview?  I really feel that this form goes well beyond what is reasonable and necessary to assess a candidate for a job application.

I must admit, that some years ago I was going to apply for a job where they asked me questions like if I had ever had an abortion, or what method of contraception I used. The letter was to go to personell directly, to be read by non medical people including my future manager. I wrote back and told them that I had no intention of answering such personal questions, and that I would not consider applying for the job. I feel that it is blatant sex discrimination to ask these questions. I mean...do they ask men if they wear condoms? Fortunately i was well qualified and could easily go for and get a different job. Others arent so lucky. I think its important to consider these things as a reflection on the employer, and the way they treat employees in general, and what it would be like for them if they did work there. After all, if your daughter didnt get the job, she would still have a load of strangers knowing her personal info. Maybe your daughter should phone and enquire about the questionnaire before making a decision. She can also ask the citizens advice bureau for advice.

>After all, if your daughter didnt get the job, she would still have a load of strangers knowing her personal info

This is just what I'm thinking of!

Daughter thinks they wouldn't ask the questions if they didn't need the answers :rolling eyes wildly here: which I feel is naive in the extreme.  

I'm also in agreement about the type of employer they are likely to be, the employer I refused to fill in  a similar Q for is well known for wanting staff on part time hours only but expect staff to jump whenever they call/work on whenever they ask, regardless of what other plans or commitments they might have.

after all, if your daughter didnt get the job, she would still have a load of strangers knowing her personal info

no way, this is confidential- it always says that on the envelope

Those questons seem very intrusive.  I doubt I would answer questions like that. What sort of job is she applying for?

There might be good reasons for asking these questions in which case I would want to know what they are. 

What is confidential in this instance?  Will the personnel manager see this?  Will the panel of interviewers see this?  Will the person you are directly working for see this?  It's vitally important to know if you are going to divulge such intimate details about yourself.

its usually only ocupational health that sees it

Not every company has an occupational health department/person.  The first person who sees it will be the person it's addressed to which will be someone in HR.  What would they need such detailed information for?  If they are asking sexual health questions aimed at women and not men, why would this be?

There is no way I would answer such personal questions, let alone let an employer see my medical records.  I would not want to work for a company who even asked.

If you have a disability that could affect the job you are applying for then you should declare it, if it doesn't affect the job, then it is none of their business.

Unless it is your first job, references from previous employment should give them any periods of absence due to sickness that have been taken in the past and to whether you are a reliable person.

>Unless it is your first job, references from previous employment should give them any periods of absence due to sickness that have been taken in the past and to whether you are a reliable person.

This is what I'm thinking too ;)

I have advised my daughter to think very carefully about whether she would want any of this information being read and known by just anyone - even if she didn't get the job ;)

I have also asked her to think very carefully about what type of employer would be asking these questions as a matter of course in an application form and whether she feels that she would want to work for such an employer - wish she was young enough to tell her not to do it :( - not that she has EVER been that young anyway ;)

If it is a small company, there will not be an occupational health department, and the information will be available directly to personell. And though it says "confidential" that is a word open to interpretation. I mean "confidential" to whom?
When I was asked to provide my gp records, contraceptive records and photographs of my breasts ( despite them having no relevance at all to the harrasment I suffered) I was assured they would be totally "confidential"....but they admitted this was to be "totally confidential" to 7 different members of HR staff ( including men) my own manager and her under managers, my abuser, my union rep, my abusers union rep, the Trusts solicitor , the chief executive, and any member of the Trust board. They said it was def confidential to approximately 20 people, and then the office staff of those twenty people....... about fifty people in all. Now I dont consider 50 people ogling pictures of my breasts, Knowing how many sex partners Ive had, knowing if I still have periods, etc to be what any reasonable person would feel was "confidential", but the HR staff were of the opinion that it WAS. So one persons definition of confidential is not the same as someone elses. they thought I was totally unreasonable to object to photos of my surgery being available to 50 people!!!!!!!!!!!!! Funnily enough the ONLY peole who DIDNT want to see my records and photos were the actual Occ health department, who were perfectly happy with a basic statement from my GP, and their own medical assessment of me. It was also the Occ health department who advised me of my rights and recommended that it would not be in my interests to release my records.

Now I did a bit of surfing the web on this issue last night, and found nothing about the law, but lots of policies from universities, hospitals, schools and ther employers about the way they deal with things.
A few things were recommended. Firstly, only interview candidates were asked to fill in a questionnare. Then, the candidate brought the filled in questionnaire to interview with them, or sent it in advance, in a sealed envelope to personell. The envelopes of the unsuccessful candidates were to be shredded unopened. The envelope of the successful candidate was to be sent, still sealed, to occupational health. This seems like a fairly reasonable system, IF you trust the sealed envelope system, because it is obviously open to abuse. I personally dont see why they dont just send one to the successful candidate immediately post interview, and get that candidate to take it directly to occ health. Most people have to work notice before taking up a new post anyway, so it woudl not cause any real delays, and would ensure the information is truly only available to the minimum of persons who have a GENUINE need to know the information. I must admit, after my experiences, I have very little trust in employers, and they now find that I am extremely secretive about my private and personal life. The problem is that once information becomes known, it cant be taken back.

%To me from the little I know, Do they ask personal questions to a women?? if so that can be seen as sex discrimination, Disability as that can be seen as disability discriniattion!! From what I know future employers ahve to be careful what they do ask, as this can be seen as discrimation
Wthout knowing the questions, I dont think anyne can commet on if they are right and legal!!!!
Sorry not much help I know!!!
Lea :)

Lea,

As I pointed out they are in depth questions about EVERY BODY SYSTEM - reproductive, gastric, digestive, cardiac, oral, aural, liver, kidneys, eyes, hair/skin/nails, ear nose and throat, mental, skeletal, ad nauseum, ad infinitum and also about the health of relatives!!!!   Then there are the questions about disability.   There is also a GP records release request.  This is a primary application form and there is NO information as to who will have access or where it will be stored and in what form. 

My daughter has NOT signed up for the European Space Programme so I fail to see what relevance these questions have to her ability to do the job to a satisfactory standard.