Update: Minority Hiring Poll

The unwritten rule among referees and umpires is that if you blow one, you fix it. It's called the "make-up call."

Our poll on minority hiring alluded to a similar scenario, asking if it's acceptable to fix previous injustices in minority recruitment and hiring by pushing it in the present.

Most voters so far appear to be on the fence: it's great to push for minority hiring, but it becomes bad if the figures go out of whack in the opposite direction (in our scenario, minorities account for 40 percent of new hires despite representing just 20 percent of applicants).

But, as reader "topwoman" wrote in the comments section, "How far does [40 percent] go in redressing the imbalances resulting from years of discrimination?"

Is it, then, time for a make-up call? Is this even a make-up call? Are the figures really out of whack? Census figures from 2006 show that one in three Americans identify themselves as a minority.

"Race and sex discrimination has been legal in America for centuries...just not against white males," reader "ingoodcompany" wrote. "Those that know discrimination when they see it generally do not define a remedial action as a form of discrimination."

In theory, hiring works on a merit-based system: the best person is the one who can get the best results. But can we exclude from this definition of "results" the fact that minority presence in the company brings better societal balance to the professional world?

Have some thoughts on this? Share it in our comments section.

Have a scenario you'd like to see in a poll? Email wherestheline (at) gmail.com