A New York City broker of apartment rentals and sales may face legal liability for alleged age bias—not because it discriminated, but because its independent contractor did. It’s a cautionary tale for any organization that outsources hiring.
Certain employers are required to track and report their employees’ injuries and illnesses during the year, but OSHA believes it isn’t seeing the real picture. So the agency has begun a national enforcement effort to identify underrecorded and incorrectly recorded workplace injuries.
Q. “What would be the best way to tell an employee we don’t want to hire her daughter? We’ve had her as a temp, but never would’ve hired her for a full-time job.” Here's how readers of our HR Specialist Forum answered that question:
According to a recent working-conditions survey, many employers are not doing the routine maintenance they should to keep their labor and employment compliance in tip-top shape. There’s no guarantee that tuning up your workplace policies like you do your car will avoid lawsuits. But, some routine preventive maintenance will go a long way to ensuring better compliance and fewer problems.
It’s one of the toughest HR problems: Handling a sexual harassment claim when the alleged harasser is a supervisor. But all is not lost. With proper planning, you can minimize the liability risk. Here’s how:
One of the cardinal rules of hiring is that you should ask all applicants the same questions. But even good rules can sometimes be broken … when it makes good sense. For example, if you are interviewing both internal and external applicants for an open position, it’s perfectly logical to ask internal applicants some different questions ...
Disputes between co-workers and between employees and their bosses are almost inevitable—which is why every HR professional must know how to gather the necessary facts to find out what’s going on. Whether it is a small inquiry or a weighty investigation into serious allegations of misconduct, being deliberate and intentional about an investigation will create a more helpful and less disruptive process.
Hiring successful sales
employees is especially critical to the success of a business. Steve Fretzin, president of the search firm team discovery offers these five effective sales management techniques:
One of the cardinal rules of hiring is that you should ask all applicants the same questions. Even good rules can sometimes be broken—when it makes good sense. For example, if you have an open position and are interviewing both internal and external applicants, it’s perfectly logical to ask internal applicants different questions, since they’re already familiar with your operations.
Managers and supervisors are at the front lines of making decisions that often trigger lawsuits—promotions, pay raises, terminations and job assignments. But the most legally dangerous of all those situations is interviewing job candidates. Here are five questions that can reveal more about job interviewees, without risking a hiring discrimination charge.
Terminations aren’t always clean. Sometimes they’re damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situations. That’s often so when you conclude that an employee harassed another and must be terminated. With nothing to lose, the fired employee may try to concoct a discrimination lawsuit.
If you have a fairly informal application process, now’s the time to firm it up. The prolonged economic downturn means you’re receiving many more applications and résumés than normal. And that means more potential for lawsuits from unsuccessful job-seekers.
Job discrimination claims are running at record-high levels in the past two years. Way too many problems start when hiring managers ask the wrong questions during job interviews. Here's how to ask five key questions without risking a hiring discrimination charge. (Plus 16 questions no one should ever ask.)
If your business fails to
come up in conversation, there are a number of effective, low-cost ways
to get the chatter started as part of a guerilla marketing strategy. Here’s how:
Here’s a reminder for all your supervisors and managers when they are interviewing and selecting potential employees. Tell them they must never promise a job before getting approval. Doing so may mean a lawsuit if the applicant relies on the promise to his detriment.
If you have a fairly informal job application process, now’s the time to firm it up. The prolonged economic downturn means you’re likely to receive more and more applications. And that means more potential for lawsuits from unsuccessful job seekers.
Whistle-blowing employees almost always expect to experience retaliation. They start looking for it as soon as they file a complaint or bring a safety issue to their employers’ attention. Smart employers anticipate this and make absolutely sure that any discipline, layoff or other adverse employment action is wholly justified before they implement it.
The two biggest comp and benefits myths about Generation Y employees—your youngest workers—are that they don’t care about money … and that they care only about money. They want more than that. In fact, they want way more. Use their demands as a negotiating tool, and watch the productivity of these young, tech-savvy go-getters soar in response.
During a workplace investigation, you, as an HR investigator, can take a number of practical steps to improve the reliability and objectivity of your witness credibility assessments. Four factors are critical to assessing witness credibility: demeanor, consistency, chronology, and past history and motivations.
During a workplace investigation, there are a number of practical steps that you, as an HR investigator, can take to improve the reliability and objectivity of your witness credibility assessments. Four factors are critical to assessing witness credibility: demeanor, consistency, chronology, and past history and motivations.
Here’s a scenario for you:
Rashid (Raoul or Ray) meets Lori in her office, and both nervously
shake hands. Lori notices what feels like a wimpy, limp clasp. Both
think to themselves, “Yech, what a shake.” A two-second exchange like
that can create unease and discomfort in the relationship from then on.
Whose fault is it?
Dan
Adams, president of Advanced Industrial Marketing Inc., says implementing cheaper marketing tactics is crucial for growth,
as is customer relationship building. Adams offers these three
small-budget ideas to boost your business:
HR Law 101: The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who can perform a job's essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. All employers that have 15 or more employees must comply with the law ...
Does your organization recruit via “word of mouth?” While
companies may be spending less on recruitment efforts during these
difficult economic times, be careful. A new court ruling says that
relying too heavily on this hiring tactic could, in fact, trigger a
discrimination lawsuit …
Soon after a Pennsylvania sales company hired Tamara Klopfenstein as a receptionist, she had performance problems right away. But the real trouble began when Klopfenstein received an e-mail from a VP that said one of her “many responsibilities … is making and getting coffee.”
Question: “I work for a government agency that coordinates our service delivery with private industry partners. Because of this partnership, we have staff in our building who are not state employees and answer to different management. The dress code in our building is “business casual,” and the partners agreed to this policy. How do I address women who wear inappropriate low-cut blouses and very short skirts? Approaching the appropriate supervisor hasn’t helped. The “corporate culture” in that company is different from our state agency. Should I go to our administrator? Am I making too much of this? The purpose of this partnership is to help lower-income and unemployed people find jobs, or career advancement, through job search activities, training, résumé and interviewing skill coaching. I don’t see this as setting a good example to our clientele. — Rita
Do you assign points or scores to rank candidates during their interviews? If so,
do you explain in writing why the applicant received each
score? A new court ruling says you’d better back up those numbers with
an explanation or you might just lose points in front of a jury if
you’re sued for discrimination …
Q. Our company has just made a job offer to a highly qualified man to work in our company’s IT department. During the final stages of our interviewing process, the candidate told us that “she” is transgendered —that she would be transitioning from male to female. We believe employing a transgender employee could be very disruptive and cause a morale problem in the company. Can we rescind the offer based on the candidate’s transgender status?
Employees who complain about harassment or discrimination often mistakenly believe they are automatically protected from discipline. They’ve heard employers can’t “retaliate” against them for complaining. That’s true to a point. But that doesn't mean that those employees get automatic immunity from any pre-existing workplace performance or behavior problems ...
At first glance, the federal ADEA appears rather straightforward: It protects people age 40 and older from employment discrimination based on their age. But the law can affect just about anything managers do, from asking questions in job interviews to assigning job duties ...
If you’re contemplating a layoff, you’ve no doubt given some thought to which employees you want to let go—and which ones you absolutely must retain. But know this: Every time an organization lays off even a few employees, voluntary turnover jumps in response ...
In many cases, the best candidates for your job openings aren’t in the job market. They’re happily employed elsewhere, and they need a major incentive to show up at your door for an interview. A new start-up job board intends to create that incentive ...
We’ve been looking for a salesperson for quite some time, and my track record in the past has not been very good. I recently found someone whom I thought would work out well in my organization. However, I’ve said that before.
Normal people try to put their best foot forward during job interviews. Others not so much. Like the applicant who showed up drunk. Or the guy who picked his nose. A new survey reveals some of the strangest, rudest behavior applicants display during job interviews.
You already know the value of writing a thank-you note after a job
interview. But did you know that those follow-up notes can carry as
much clout as a cover letter in landing the job?
Say you’ve decided to hire a professional employer organization (PEO) to handle some of your HR services—or you’re considering new PEO vendors to replace your current one. You have a choice of more than 700 PEOs to choose from. Prices and services offered by PEOs vary so much it's hard to spot the best deal ...
Employers and HR professionals should make it their policy never to hire a candidate without a comprehensive background check. But, they also must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which regulates how employers perform employment background checks on job applicants. Contrary to popular belief, this federal law doesn’t cover just credit checks.
As a leader, you don’t want to think about succession. Why would you?
Succession suggests a lame duck, failure or death. But if you want to
be remembered as a good leader, you must come to grips with who will
run the business after you’re gone.
You've heard the saying: If you don’t know where you’re going, how will
you know when you get there? The same holds true in finding a mentor:
If you don’t know why you want one, how will you know whom to ask?
Q. I work in the HR area at my company and just learned that an employee who is experiencing some personal problems is now having performance problems at work. I also learned the employee has made threats about hurting his boss and a certain co-worker. What should I do? ...
Question: “I am an Administrative Assistant with more than 15 years’ experience
working for an Assistant VP, an Executive Director, an Engineering
Manager and a Director of Marketing. I was also responsible for their
staff and assisting other departments when needed. Our company has gone
through two buyouts in less than a year and the reorganization leaves
me without a job unless an opening becomes available. I have applied
for two administrative positions over the past nine months. I was not
notified whether or not I was being considered. I’m not getting
responses to résumés sent outside the organization either. My skills
are up-to-date. The rumor is that the new CEO does not want anyone over
a particular age in this company. Unfortunately, I fall in the age
category mentioned. I know this is age discrimination that I cannot
prove, so how do I get noticed and stay marketable?” —Sheilah Trigg
The Internet is an invaluable tool in many workplaces, but lately it’s become a somewhat unexpected cause of employment law litigation. Two issues lead the wired way to the courthouse for employers: gathering information about job candidates through web sites and potential liability for what their employees do while using the Internet ...
Question: “What are the right questions to ask candidates during interviews for
administrative aide positions to find out whether they have the
technical skills necessary for the job? During the interview, I try to
get a good feel of their abilities to perform a specific job. Most
claim they have the skills, but when tested, fail or fall well below
the expected scale.” — Jonnie Barkley
Question: “Are online degrees (from accredited institutions) being viewed as
equal to classroom earned degrees by employers, HR professionals,
hiring managers?” — Suzanne M. Williams
Question: “We have a former employee who left our employ one week ago. He has
now called and stated that his leaving was a mistake, and he would like
to come back to work for us. Can you tell me what policies you have in
place for this situation? We are thinking about hiring him back. What
do we do about seniority, pay, vacation, health benefits, etc.? Does
he start at the beginning? This is the first time this has happened to
us and we don't have a policy in our handbook that covers it. Any
suggestions or laws that you may know of that would apply?” — Nancy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decisions in Faragher v. City of Boca Raton and Ellerth v. Burlington Industries were a wake-up call for employers to take affirmative steps to prevent, detect and remedy unlawful workplace harassment. When harassment rears its ugly head, here's how to conduct your investigation.
When W&M Properties took over management of an office complex, it immediately set about changing the staffing model under which building engineers would work. Managers began interviewing the seven incumbent engineers for positions under the new structure as well as outside, nonunion candidates. At some point during the interviews, a hiring manager let it be known that the company did not want a unionized work force ...
Question: “I have an interview for an executive assistant to the city manager,
which is an excellent opening for me. I would like some input from
others on questions that may come up in the panel interview, pointers,
questions I should ask and any web sites that may be helpful. I know
what to do after the interview, but it’s always the before that I have
trouble with.”
Question: “Is it appropriate to ask during an interview what the company policy
is regarding giving references? I worked for a company for two years,
and then decided to move on. It was then that I learned about the
company’s strict “no-reference” policy. It was not mentioned in the
employee manual. Now I have a gap in my references that looks bad
through no fault of my own.” — Donna Byerly
When an employee alleges wrongdoing, you’ll need to conduct a thorough internal investigation. That may mean interviewing employees, supervisors and even customers. But be careful how much information you share with those you interview. If you indiscriminately discuss the comments of others who were interviewed, it may constitute defamation. Texas law only protects communications made in the course of a wrongdoing investigation if disclosure is limited to people who have a legitimate reason to know ...
Recruiting and interviewing potential new hires can be time consuming, but for many employers the process is far from boring. In fact, given some of the wacky things candidates include on their résumés and blurt out during interviews, hiring may be the funniest part of an HR pro’s job.
When it comes to reverse discrimination, comments by senior managers may backfire if others perceive them as encouraging racial preferences. For example, when a high-level executive comments that the organization needs more black employees in management positions, hiring managers could construe it as authorization to bypass qualified white candidates in favor of black candidates with lesser qualifications ...
Q. My family has operated a small medical supply business for many years. Lately, our business has really taken off, and we now have more than 20 employees in different job categories. We are wondering whether we should develop written job descriptions for the different positions. If so, where should we begin? ...
Developing, implementing and enforcing a comprehensive anti-harassment policy is vital to create a safe and comfortable work environment and minimize the potential damage from harassment lawsuits. But having an anti-harassment policy is not enough; the policy must be implemented, promulgated and consistently enforced. Training employees and managers on harassment law and the employer’s harassment policy is an important part of an employer’s defense against a harassment claim—whether the alleged harassment was by a supervisor or a co-worker ...
The EEOC recently issued enforcement guidance declaring that disparate treatment of employees who care for children, parents or other family members violates federal law. “Disparate treatment” generally means an employer intentionally treated employees differently because of a protected factor such as race, gender, age or—in this case—their need to care for family members ...
Hiring managers spend too much time interviewing candidates—and asking them the wrong questions. Then they’re often surprised to have to fire those same candidates a few months later after discovering that good interview skills don’t necessarily signal a great job fit. The problem: Employers often hire for hard skills but fire for soft skills, says Karl Ahlrichs of Hiring Smart, an Indiana firm specializing in employee selection. Instead, says Ahlrichs, “Our new slogan should be, ‘Fire them before we hire them.’” ...
Culling through stacks of resumes and conducting two or three rounds of interviews takes too long, is too subjective and too often results in bad hires. Employee selection expert Karl Alrichs proposes a four-step hiring process that saves managers time, reveals the best candidates, and highlights the intangibles that separate good employees from the bad ones.
Nothing will land an employer in legal hot water faster than firing an employee who just made a discrimination complaint. At first glance, it will almost always look like retaliation. But that doesn’t mean your hands are tied ...
Question: “I’m planning to create a standard letter to send to applicants who we
interviewed but rejected. Do other companies send such letters? (This
was our president’s idea!) If so, can you give me an example of the
wording you use? Thanks.” -- Janice, Texas
While execs spend an average of 55 minutes interviewing staff-level applicants (and 86 minutes for management candidates), they form an opinion of job-seekers in an average of 10 minutes ...
While execs spend an average of 55 minutes interviewing staff-level
applicants (and 86 minutes for management candidates), they form an opinion of
job-seekers in an average of 10 minutes, according to a Robert Half poll of 150
senior execs at large companies.
Hiring younger workers for entry-level and managerial-trainee jobs poses unique challenges. Because those applicants have little or no experience under their belts, interviewing requires special insights.To predict job success, focus on applicants' maturity level by asking the right questions and looking for certain nonverbal cues ...
HR professionals often play it ultra-safe in interviewing. For fear of asking unusual, inappropriate or even illegal questions, they stick to bland, scripted queries that don’t draw applicants out of their comfort zone. That’s a sure path to hiring failure ...
HR Law 101: The ADA prohibits employers from asking job applicants questions that may reveal a disability. You should ask only about the person's ability to perform a job's essential functions ...
HR Law 101: An employer needn't hire a disabled person if he or she lacks the requisite skills, experience and education for the job in question. But if the deciding factor is the disability, you must prove that the condition interferes with what the ADA terms the "essential functions" of the job ...
HR Law 101: Workers' compensation insurance provides compensation to employees who are injured or disabled on the job. It pays for medical treatment, loss of wages during a period of disability and compensation for permanent disability or disfigurement ...
Q. I constantly run into this problem: I pre-screen a candidate who seems like a perfect fit for the job description. But when I send the person to the hiring manager for an interview, I'm told to keep looking for someone better. This is frustrating to the managers, the applicants and me. Any suggestions on how I can improve my pre-screening? —P.B., New Jersey
Q. At our university, the special-events supervisors must occasionally hire people. We currently don't pay for their time involved in interviewing job candidates. I think we should pay them for that time, but I was told education institutions are exempt from pay laws. Is that true? —D.D., West Virginia
Q. I know that it's illegal to ask applicants certain questions, like whether they are married. Are there any questions I can't ask a previous employer or reference? —F.T., Maine
When it comes to hiring and promotions, one of the quickest paths to the courthouse is relying heavily on a person’s subjective qualifications when objective measures point to a better candidate ...
HR Law 101: When a new hire comes on board, you must determine whether to classify him or her as exempt or nonexempt under the FLSA. The key consideration: Exempt workers aren’t eligible for overtime pay. Rather, they’re paid for the job they do, not the hours they keep ...
HR Law 101: Even though job descriptions are absolutely essential, too few employers use them effectively, and some even view them as a nuisance. Every employer should maintain a file of up-to-date job descriptions for all the positions in the organization ...
HR Law 101: Many organizations use pre-employment tests to screen applicants. But be aware of the risks involved. Unless you can demonstrate that a test measures job-related qualities and fulfills a business necessity, you could be exposing your organization to charges of discrimination ...
The Florida Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination or segregation in employment and access to places of public accommodation because of race, color, age, national origin, sex, handicap, familial status or religion ...
The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination makes it unlawful to subject people to differential treatment based on race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, sex (including pregnancy), marital status, domestic partnership status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, liability for military service, mental or physical disability, perceived disability, AIDS and HIV status ...
New survey data from NFI Research indicate that most senior executives
and managers rely on likability — that “good ol’ gut feeling” — when
hiring and promoting people. Bad move. Very bad move.
Legendary business journalist Marshall Loeb spent decades interviewing
the greatest leaders of American business. Along the way, he defined
these steps to effective leadership:
Question: My husband and I would like to move back to Dallas but want to have
employment before I get there. I have sent resumes out, but it does not
seem to be productive. Does anyone have any advice? -- Moving
Ever notice a tendency to blabber about your team, yourself or your
organization instead of actually interviewing a job candidate? Welcome
to the most common blunder in hiring. Here’s how to recognize this syndrome and fix it:
Question: I have been employed in good standing with a great corporation for more than eight years.
Working in the administrative field has been my specialty for years,
and I've worked my way into the position that I hold now:
Receptionist/Clerk.
I have grown this position over four years to be much more than a
receptionist; I'm more like an Administrative Assistant/Office Manager.
I strive for challenge, change and continuous learning. Over the
past few years, I have applied for internal transfers and promotions,
applying for nine different position in the past two years alone.
Each position was filled with another candidate. Why?
When I get the calls to let me know that I did not receive the jobs,
the responses were along the lines of: "You interview well. We like
your personality. You were one of the top candidates. Your skill set
was very desirable, but we did not think you would be a fit for the
position."
Can someone give me some feedback to let me know what you think? -- Anonymous
Nobody talks about it, and it’s against the rules of virtually every
employer, yet the practice thrives: It’s called making “homers”: items
or work produced on company time for personal use. Harvard Business School assistant professor Michel Anteby has explored
the practice by interviewing retired French metalworkers. He found that
leaders of all stripes—managers, supervisors, executives—know about
homer-making, and most ignore it. But why?
When Thomas Neff and James Citrin were interviewing 50 CEOs and company presidents for their book Lessons From the Top,
they decided they would ask all of them to name the greatest leadership
lesson they had learned from reading the books by Peter F. Drucker. Here are five lessons that topped the list:
Question: I recently applied for a new position within my company. I have worked
in my current position for a very long time, and without going into a
long story, I have never had a "real" interview. Our company does
panel (3-5 people) interviews now for all positions.
Can any of you help me out with what kind of questions are being
asked at interviews? Most of the resources I find seem to be geared
toward technical positions. -- Anonymous
Question: I would like to meet with my peers from our 11 other plants and other persons
such as A/P, A/R and any other persons who may pertain to our job from
the corporate office. We have plants from California.to Delaware and
from Illinois to Kentucky.
Apparently, admins don't travel from here (or so I've been told); it isn't part of the job description.
What can I say or do to be able to meet these people? I work with a
lot of them every day and would really like to meet them in person. I
would really like to know the "guts" of the corporation and why I do
what I do and if I'm the only one being micro-managed by my super or if
it's a corp. thing!
Question: I recently applied for a position as executive assistant. I
was not selected for the position and one of the reasons was that I did not
provide any examples of my work. The person I interviewed with suggested that I
create a portfolio with various samples of my work using different software
programs.
Has anyone ever create such a portfolio? How would I get
started? -- Karyn, Buffalo, N.Y.
Issue: Becoming more involved in a local college's career programs, beyond attending job fairs and posting openings. Risk: Your organization can morph itself into an employer of choice for interns ...
What if you're seriously considering an applicant, but a good chunk of his or her past experience was at an employer that's now defunct? The dot-com bust of the late '90s ...
Issue: Whether , and how , to notify unsuccessful job applicants. Risk: Spending too much effort on rejection notification can tax your resources, but poor notification can reflect badly on ...
Think about the amount of information and records that you maintain about employees. Now, think about the valuable information you possess about your clients and customers. Do you treat those two ...
Question: I've been at my
current government position for five years. (Same manager the whole
time.) I’ve interviewed for many positions that I’m well qualified
for. When they call my manager, he gives me a mediocre reference. (He
won't put anything negative in writing.) As he probably couldn’t
easily find someone else to do my job, I believe he doesn’t want me to
leave. When I spoke with him about the reference, he denied it.
Since I currently perform work for others, too, I offer them as references, too. With my cover letter, application and
resume, I include a performance report that my manager has written (saying I'm
outstanding and should be promoted to the next level), attached with my rank
score. I'm just frustrated that many opportunities have passed me by. I’ve lost
respect for him (for being dishonest) and no longer desire to work for him.
If you’ve stopped asking the two most common questions when interviewing job candidates because they’ve fallen out of favor with hiring gurus, reconsider them.
Issue: Performing an HR department audit to gauge your organization's compliance and lawsuit risks. Benefit: Head off legal action, streamline your HR processes and earn kudos from the boss for ...
If your organization's job application doesn't include a "statement of accuracy," add one fast. In signing, applicants promise they've given complete and accurate answers. Such statements provide a solid legal basis ...
As the person you’re interviewing starts to answer your first question, you’ve already made a preliminary call about whether he or she would make a good hire.
The HR Specialist joined more than 12,000 HR professionals in New Orleans this summer for the annual Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference. Here are some ...
THE LAW. Job interviews are a legal minefield for HR people and managers. Your questions must avoid stepping on federal and state equal employment laws that ban discrimination on the basis ...
You don't need to wait until an employee leaves to hold an exit interview. You can gain valuable feedback by asking a few key questions of candidates who turned down your job offers.
THE LAW. Workers' compensation insurance provides compensation to employees for loss of income and for medical payments when they're injured on the job. A state workers' comp law covers most ...
Don't let your guard down when interviewing someone who doesn't appear to suffer from a disability. If you ask an illegal question, anyone can hit you with ...
To avoid becoming the target of discrimination lawsuits, you need to protect your credibility as a leader and manager. Reason: It's one of the top ways plaintiffs' attorneys ...
Job descriptions are among the first items that courts examine to determine the legitimacy of a discrimination charge. You can use them as part of a defense in court only if ...
Sept. 11 put a new kind of workplace violence on the radar screen, but the threat of verbal and physical attacks by co-workers, customers and spouses is still just as pressing ...
Protect your organization from employee lawsuits for harassment by focusing your attention on both preventive and corrective measures. Provide every employee ...
When interviewing for a job, determine whether the hiring manager cares
more about “hard” qualifications, such as your technical experience, or
“soft” skills, such as your work ethic.
You may figure that in today’s tight labor market beggars can’t be
choosers. But by prospecting for the best candidates and screening them
effectively, you can make the right call.
Jerry Colangelo, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks, runs businesses that employ more than 5,000 people. His employees have ranged from basketball stars such as Charles Barkley to part-timers at ballpark concession stands. We spoke with Colangelo about his management philosophy and the lessons he has learned after 33 years in the business of pro sports.
If you’re interviewing for a job or trying to win an internal
promotion, don’t just make your pitch and walk away. Always end the
conversation by discussing exactly what will happen next.
When interviewing job candidates, beware of giving too much weight to factors such as race, cultural background, age, level of education, religion and so on.
