You have been asked to help interview candidates for an administrative professional opening at your company. After the team has reviewed all the resumes and completed the interviews, they begin to discuss the candidates. One team member says that she doesn’t like one of the candidates because he has Tourette syndrome. During the interview, the team learned that the candidate was subject to the following symptoms: involuntary blinking, shrugging, head herks, grimaces, throat clearing, sniffing, tongue clicking, yelping, and other noises. The team member is concerned the candidate won’t represent the company well when he greets clients.
Would choosing not to hire the candidate on this basis be unethical? Would your decision be any different if the position did not include much client interaction?