Assignment 1: Discussion—Employment Laws

One aspect of talent management is to ensure that all human resource decisions are in compliance with local, national, and sometimes global laws.

Using the Argosy University online library resources and the Internet, research human resource decisions and the law.

For this assignment, assume you are a manager in the HR department for WidgetMaker, a large US-based company with offices in several states. It is your job to sort through requests and grievances that employees submit to company management.

This week you have received the following four notifications:

1. A pregnant female employee requests four months of unpaid maternity leave. She wants the company to ensure that her job, status, and pay will all remain upon her return.
2. A male employee demands four weeks of paid leave to be used when his stay-at-home wife gives birth to his second child.
3. A small group of employees running the factory machines contend that adequate safety equipment has not been provided for them. They are reluctant to return to working with the machines until the safety materials are provided.
4. An older male employee contends that within his department he has repeatedly been treated differently due to his sex, age, and religion.

Select three of the scenarios listed above and, for each of them, respond to the following:

• What national laws are being violated and what are the minimal actions required by law?
• How do you recommend the company respond?
• Does your recommendation go beyond what is required by law?
• What other factors besides legal compliance (for example, ethics, company reputation, financial concerns, etc.) were involved in your decision? Why were these factors important to your decisio