Overview

Write a 2–3-page summary of your research into laws that have impacted today’s workplace.

Employment law, or labor law, governs the interactions and duties between employees and employers. The purpose of these laws is to ensure that workers are safe and treated fairly. The laws also serve to protect employers’ interests as well. Employment laws are primarily based on both federal and state constitutions and legislation.

Understanding employment law is extremely important for HR practitioners, all members of management, and employees as well. Employees should understand their rights in the workplace to ensure they are treated fairly; employers need to understand and abide by employment law guidelines to ensure that they promote a safe and fair workplace and to avoid employment-related legal action that can be very costly to the organization.

HR practitioners need to ensure the company operates within legal guidelines by monitoring programs and practices, and this assessment will help to strengthen your understanding of these topics.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

· Competency 1: Examine the effect of the employment process on current work environments.

. Summarize current legislation regarding workers’ rights.

· Competency 2: Analyze trends and changes in the laws on diversity, gender, and harassment.

. Describe any trends or historical perspectives that foreshadow probable change.

. Anticipate future changes in the law.

. Analyze the reasons why the law can be expected to evolve.

· Competency 3: Apply the laws and safety issues in the workplace.

. Analyze current employment laws affecting the workplace.

· Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the human resource profession.

. Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the human resource profession.​

Context

A law cannot ensure that a behavior will change. Laws and behaviors are not fixed, and in order to study them it is necessary to put them in perspective. This assessment considers law in relation to workplace behaviors and shifts in demographics. Specifically, it looks at the foundation of U.S. law and the related legislation enacted to address the rights of U.S. citizens as they engage in workplace contracts and activities.

SHOW LESS

Events and inventions demanded workers develop different skill sets. As those forces of change arose, public pressure, under the banner of equal opportunity, influenced the workplace and the courts. In an agrarian society, one works on the land. In an industrialized society, one works in a union with an enterprise. In a service society, one works in relationship with other people.

As you look to the global workplace, you see participants in the labor contract at different stages of managing relationships. The U.S. laws of the eighteenth century were written in response to the laws of England’s domination. U.S. laws of the twenty-first century are written in direct response to the electorate of today—diverse in race, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, and sexual orientation.

As you study the statistics, keep the legislative timeline in mind. Observe the direct relationship between the legislative process and the human factor. Test your intuitions in your own workplace and community. Do not hesitate to challenge the numbers. Look at the trends in the United States and place them in the context of a global labor pool and a global marketplace.

Questions to consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

For the following questions, refer to the United States Census Bureau Web site, listed in the Resources.

· Find the census statistics for your home state. If you do not reside in the United States, choose a state you are interested in learning more about. Find three facts or trends that you think reflect what is happening in your state’s workforce. Why do you think these facts are important, and what impact could they have on the future workforce?

· In your opinion, what is the role of management in legal compliance? In your experience, or based on research you have conducted, what are some of the issues related to this topic that exist in the workplace?

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· Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Capella Multimedia

Click the links provided below to view the following multimedia pieces:

· HR and Legal Perspectives | Transcript.

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:

· Veterans employment data: Post-9/11 service members and the great recession. (2012). Congressional Digest, 91(9), 267.

· Shuming, Z., & Jie, Z. (2010). Impact of employment contracts law on employment relations in China. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 45(4), 566–584.

Course Library Guide

A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the BUS-FP4044 – Legal Issues in Human Resource Management Library Guide to help direct your research.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

· United States Census Bureau. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov

· U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2000). EEOC: The early years. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/videos/longintro-text.html

· U.S. Department of Labor. (2009). Employment law guide: Laws, regulations, and technical assistance services. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/

Bookstore Resources

The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.

· Walsh, D. J. (2016). Employment law for human resource practice (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

7. Chapter 1, “Overview of Employment Law.”

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Instructions

To prepare for this assessment, use the Capella library and the Internet to research employment law, both from a historical perspective and in the present day. Focus your research on laws that have impacted today’s workplace.

Then, write a 2–3-page summary of your research into employment law. Complete the following:

· Summarize two of the laws that you feel have the greatest impact in the workplace today, and provide a rationale to support your point of view.

· Discuss two employment-related topic areas in which you believe the laws will change or evolve in the next 10 years.

· Describe any trends or historical perspectives that support your position regarding the laws that will change or evolve in the next 10 years.

Additional Requirements

· Written Communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

· APA Formatting: Resources and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.

· Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced. Use Microsoft Word to complete the assessment.

· Length: A minimum of two pages, excluding title page and reference page (150–300 words per question).