The Kenya Power and Lighting Company is expanding and struggling to fill meter reader positions, which require only a high school diploma. The human resources director decides to change the education requirement to a college degree without considering the recruitment challenges or legal implications. The tasks of a meter reader are simple and do not require decision making skills. Requiring a college degree may further exacerbate the company's ability to fill the needed positions during a time of rapid growth. While upgrading positions is reasonable, the director did not properly consider the recruitment impact or potential discrimination claims that could arise from the changed requirements.

1. MBA 820<br />Case Study 1<br />A Degree for Meter Readers<br />Joan Kioko was assigned as a recruiter for the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), which serves Nairobi and the surrounding area. The company has been expanding rapidly, and its growth is expected to continue. In January 2009, KPLC purchased the utilities system serving neighboring Kiambu County. This expansion concerned Joan. The company workforce had increased by 30 percent the previous year, and Joan had struggled to recruit enough qualified job applicants. She knew that new expansion would intensify the problem. <br />Joan is particularly concerned about meter readers. The tasks required in meter reading are moderately simple. A person drives to homes served by the company, finds the electric meter, and records its current reading. If the meter has been tampered with, it is reported. Otherwise no decision making of any consequence is associated with the job. The reader performs no calculations. The pay was Ksh. 80.00 per hour. Even so Joan has been having extensive difficulty keeping the 40 meter reader positions filled. <br />Joan was thinking about how to attract more job applicants when she received a call from the human resource director, Mr. James Kimani. “Joan” James said, “I’m unhappy with the job specification calling for only high school education for meter readers. In planning for the future we need better-educated people in the company. I’ve decided to change the education requirement for the meter reader job from a high school diploma to a college degree.”<br />“But Mr. Kimani,” protested Joan, “the company is growing rapidly. If we are to have enough people to fill those jobs we just can’t insist that college graduates get paid to do such basic tasks. I don’t see how we can meet our future needs for this job with such unrealistic job qualification.” <br />James terminated the conversation abruptly by saying, “No, I don’t agree. We need to upgrade all the people in our organization. This is just part of a general effort to do that. Anyway, I cleared this with the president before I decided to do it.”<br />Questions:<br />Should there be a minimum education requirement for the meter reader job? Discuss<br />What is your opinion of James’ effort to upgrade the people in the organization?<br />What legal ramifications, if any, should James have considered?<br />