Assignment 4 – The Value of Fair Treatment in the Workplace
Note: Remember – we are looking for your understanding of the law and legal concepts we have learned in the class so explain first, demonstrate a thorough understanding and then, answer the questions of the assignment. Be informative and show what you know!
You have been hired as a management consultant by a large company to examine the company’s business decisions regarding employee protections and situations of wrongful termination. The applicable laws are federal and state anti-discrimination laws, federal and state health and safety laws, and employer firing practices related to the employment-at-will (EAW) doctrine.
In response to the three questions below, write a 4 to 6-page paper in which you do the following:
- Provide two (2) pieces of legislation that helps to protect employees from discrimination in the workplace today. Be precise as to the law and how it helps to protect employees and substantiate your answers.
- Explain the Employment-at-Will Doctrine – what it is and what it says and all the possible exceptions that help to keep employees from being fired wrongfully/illegally. Then, look at the scenarios below and determine first – should (ethically) the employee be fired and second – legally, is there an EAW exception that the employee could argue would save their job and what is it and justify your answer and argument: (answer for all four scenarios)
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- Brenda, a manager, started a blog on the company website for employee grievances. She noticed that a worker was protesting that no Asian American employees had gotten a raise in two years at the company. The worker also criticized how much the CEO made and how the CEO was “out of touch.” Brenda reprimanded the worker. The next day, the worker talked to fellow co-workers about forming a union. Brenda subsequently fired the worker.
- Jason, a department supervisor, requests approval to fire his secretary, Alice. Alice, a devout Christian, has been putting Right-to-Life flyers in the employee breakroom. Alice is also taking time out to pray each day during the busiest time of the morning.
- Brian, the head of the accounting department, refused to sign Lori’s leave request for jury duty. Lori is a tax attorney in his department. Brian wants to fire Lori for being absent without permission during their busiest time—tax season.
- Peter has worked for the company for one year. He has a rare form of liver disease and works with chemicals that make his condition worse. Peter does not want to stop working, but his boss is not happy with his performance and wants to let him go.
3.Determine what employers must do when hiring new employees, in compliance with federal law, and whether your home state allows for worker’s compensation benefits to those undocumented who are not legally allowed to work in the United States. Advocate for or against this practice and substantiate your response with research to support your position.
Use the Strayer Library to conduct your research.
Include at least three quality references. The textbook for this class is a required source for this assignment. Note: Wikipedia, Muhl (dated 2001) and similar websites do not count as quality references.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
- This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. In-text citations that correspond to the source on the Source page. Without in-text citations = your paper is not acceptable.
- Typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with 1-inch margins on all sides.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
- The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is as follows: Evaluate federal law relative to workplace discrimination, employment-at-will, and worker’s compensation eligibility.
