So apparently in 2006 Germany passed an Equal Treatment Act [1], which prevents discrimination on various grounds, including racial or ethnic origin, sex or sexual orientation, disability and age. All of these are things that a photograph could tell you about. I'd be curious if in practice this has resulted in employees winning cases against employees. If so, and there's no legitimate employment-related reason to need a picture (such as when hiring a model), then if I were an employer I would hesitate to request one.
I also happen to believe that it's ethically correct and coincidentally, economically optimal to not discriminate on the basis of those factors, in addition to it being the law in Germany (and the US, where I'm from, apart from sexual orientation in some places). Avoiding asking for a picture is a good signal that you don't intend to discriminate in that way.
If there's a good argument for why a picture is helpful for making better employment decisions, I'd love to hear it.
I also happen to believe that it's ethically correct and coincidentally, economically optimal to not discriminate on the basis of those factors, in addition to it being the law in Germany (and the US, where I'm from, apart from sexual orientation in some places). Avoiding asking for a picture is a good signal that you don't intend to discriminate in that way.
If there's a good argument for why a picture is helpful for making better employment decisions, I'd love to hear it.
[1] http://www.bakermckenzie.com/files/Uploads/Documents/Support...