ASSESSMENT 4Write a 1-2 page summary of an employment accountability- or ethics-related event that, in your opinion, has had the largest impact on the workplace today.Introduction
In the previous assessments, you examined the evolution of employment law and the changing rules in the workplace. You considered the rules of the employee-employer relationship and the related laws. This assessment looks at the core issues related to employment law in the workplace today and how they might be changing the way we work.It certainly seems that there is a lot of wrongdoing in the workplace. In this assessment, you will move away from the common understanding of discrimination and move toward a legal grounding in what constitutes wrongdoing. Of particular interest are the current hot issues in the workplace that we read about every day.Ethics Violations
Ethics violations put executives on the front pages of newspapers, in the courtrooms, and sometimes in jail cells. However, to examine ethics violations without considering human resources policy issues would be a mistake. This assessment tests your ability to put these issues in a broader context and look at the employment relationship that was established on the date of hire and the communication and accountability that occurred during the employment period. The Department of Labor is very explicit about defining accountability and continues to broaden the definitions over time. It is reasonable for companies to claim that employees, especially managers, are responsible for their actions and words with staff, even outside of the workplace.Accountability
Creating a policy and placing it in a binder or on a Web site is not enough to absolve companies of individuals’ wrongdoings. Moreover, identifying the wrongdoing by terminating individuals is not enough. Over the years, legislation has aimed to punish corporations financially when their employees have committed misdeeds. It is hoped that with the law getting stronger, behavior and working interactions are getting better.Use the Capella library and the Internet to research an event that, in your opinion, has had the largest impact on the workplace today.Then, write a 1–2 page summary that reflects the importance of this event. In this summary:

Identify an event that greatly impacted today’s workplace.

• Describe why you believe the event you chose is significant.

Discuss the event’s relation to current trends.

Relate the event to a personal experience. This can be the experience of a friend, coworker, relative, or yourself.

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

• Competency 2: Analyze trends and changes in the laws on diversity, gender, and harassment.
• Discuss event’s relation to current trends.
• Competency 3: Apply the laws and safety issues in the workplace.
• Identify an event that impacts today’s workplace.

Describe personal opinion on event’s significance.

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.

• ASSESSMENT 5 
• IntroductionIn this assessment, your challenge is to investigate pay and benefits issues as they relate to the law and conflict in the workplace. You will review the issues of pay and benefits and how they can be some of the hottest issues in human resources today.Pay and Benefits
  Fair compensation for a fair day’s work seems a relatively straightforward concept, but it only takes one glance at a newspaper to see that the stories of inflated chief executive pay, lost pensions, and deferred benefits have become serious concerns.This assessment examines how these policies are administered and the decision-making process behind them. While many may have been embroiled in the topic of how much CEOs are paid, you will be more concerned with how the payment structure was set up, who decided it, and whether it was within the policies of the organization and the laws protecting every employee in their employee agreement.Employment Law Violations
  It seems that one of the most widely publicized employment law violations relates to companies who fail to properly pay overtime to their employees. We see commercials on television related to this topic, and well known companies are often in the news for violating this law.Most employers are required to pay overtime according to federal and state law. Overtime is 50 percent of the employee’s hourly wage, which means the employee is paid “time and a half” for each hour of overtime worked. There are many exceptions to overtime laws, but generally speaking, employees eligible for overtime are “nonexempt” employees, and those not eligible for overtime are “exempt” employees.Most state and federal laws set a weekly overtime standard. This means that non-exempt employees who work more than 40 hours per week are to be paid overtime for all time worked above 40 hours. Some states (such as California) have daily overtime standards in addition to the weekly standards. This means that non-exempt employees are paid overtime for all time worked above eight hours per day, even if they do not work 40 hours in a week.It is essential for HR practitioners, and all members of management, to understand how to properly classify employees and accurately record their time to avoid these types of violations. The laws are complex and can be somewhat confusing because of the number of exceptions to the rules.Use the Capella library and the Internet to find and research a case involving overtime and related pay issues.Then, write a 2–3 page analysis in which you complete the following:
• Summarize the case.
• Describe the central issues of the case and specifically address the company’s alleged errors.

Describe the decisions that were made and the outcome of the case.

Clarify your opinion regarding the reasons why this employee should or should not have been paid overtime wages; describe how the company can avoid similar charges in the future; and describe how the court applied these criteria to the facts of the case to reach its decision.

Competencies Measured
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.
• Describe the issues in the case.
• Competency 3: Apply the laws and safety issues in the workplace.

Describe your opinion on the decision regarding overtime pay.

• Competency 5: Create strategies for recovery.
• Describe the decisions that affected the outcome of the case.

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.

ASSESSMENT 6 

IntroductionFrom an HR perspective, the topic of privacy in the workplace is often related to pre-employment background checks and the use of technology. During the pre-employment period, privacy can become a concern because employers investigate criminal records, check credit reports, contact former employers, et cetera. Once employed, an individual’s use of company technology—and what is permissible and what is private—can also be concerns.These topics are very important for HR practitioners and all members of management to understand, because privacy violations can be very costly to an organization and can result in negative press as well.The right to privacy is an honored value in the United States and has always been a complicated area of the law. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, questions have centered on privacy in numerous circles, not the least of which is the workplace. During this course, you have explored the balance between privacy, safety, and fairness. In this assessment, you will review the emerging issues specifically related to privacy and consider their legal implications.Most discussion on this topic revolves around technology and pre-employment inquiry, but health records are emerging as equally important. Personnel records and criminal records—even academic records—are becoming relevant when decisions about the pursuit and retention of employment are on the table. Try not to restrict your thinking to personal ethical issues. Rather, try to see how the law is shaping policy in the workplace and then look at the diversity of personal lifestyles.Use the Capella library and the Internet to find an article related to the issue of privacy in the workplace. Look for a case that is specifically related to human resources. Try to find the most recent instance of such a case.Then, write a 2–3 page article review in which you discuss the following:

Identify the legal impact of the information in your chosen article related to privacy in the workplace.

Describe how companies can act in accordance with the privacy laws addressed in your article.

Describe how companies can recover from violations related to the privacy laws addressed in your article.

Provide a rationale to support your point of view.

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

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

• Discuss personal opinion on privacy in the workplace considerations.
• Competency 3: Apply the laws and safety issues in the workplace.
• Identify the legal impact of the information.
• Describe how companies can act in accordance with the privacy laws.
• Competency 5: Create strategies for recovery from exposure to liabilities.

Describe how companies can recover from violations related to the privacy laws.

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.

• SCORING GUIDE
  Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated. 
• ASSESSMENT 7 
• IntroductionWrongful termination occurs when employment is terminated for illegal reasons or if company policy is violated when the employee is fired. HR practitioners and members of management need to be informed about how to properly handle the termination process to ensure that the employee’s rights are not violated, and to ensure that the organization avoids a potentially costly wrongful termination lawsuit.Generally, most employees are considered to be covered under the contractual “employment at will” relationship (except those covered by a collective bargaining agreement), which means an employer can terminate employment at any time, for any reason. However, wrongful termination can exist if discrimination is involved in the termination decision or if public or company policy is violated during the termination process.During this assessment, you will explore topics related to termination in the workplace. You will consider what is permissible under the law as a rationale for termination and you will consider termination as it relates to employment at will versus contract relationships. You will also consider the impact of employment at will and the effect it has on an employer’s liability for wrongful termination.Use the Capella library and the Internet to find and research a recent case in the news related to wrongful termination. Look for a case that is specifically related to human resources. Try to find the most recent instance of such a case.Once you complete your research, write a 2–3 page case description in which you complete the following:
• Describe the case.
• Summarize the significant issues of the case.

Include a detailed discussion of the outcome. Analyze whether this is a case of wrongful termination based on what you have studied for this assessment.

Be sure to address the concept of at-will employment and why or why not it is a factor in this case, along with your supporting rationale.Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

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

• Describe the case.
• Summarize the significant issues of the case.

Discuss the outcome.

• Competency 5: Create strategies for recovery from exposure to liabilities.
• Discuss the concept of at-will employment.

Describe how at-will employment affects wrongful termination lawsuits.

• 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.

SCORING GUIDE
Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated. 

ASSESSMENT 8 

IntroductionAn organization’s public image is very important. The values and missions of the company serve as a statement to the public regarding how it seeks to operate. The company wants to avoid negative publicity about employment-related legal issues, like discrimination or harassment, because it can have a damaging effect on the organization’s reputation. When this occurs, HR practitioners and managers need to identify an effective recovery strategy as soon as possible. This is important, because the company needs to limit any negative exposure, but also to ensure that the organization is operating according to its values and missions.Conduct research using the Capella University Library, a trusted Internet resource, or a business magazine or journal to find an article on the topic of a company experiencing legal issues related to workplace discrimination, unfair labor practices, or unethical behavior. This source should also describe the organization’s approach in managing and recovering from the charges brought against it.Then, write a 2–3-page article review in which you discuss the following:

Identify the legal issues and the charges brought against the company.

Describe the organization’s approach to managing and recovering from the charges brought against it.

Include your analysis of the organization’s approach to managing and recovering from the charges. Identify whether you would or would not have handled the recovery using the same strategy, and include a supporting rationale.

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

• Competency 4: Implement the mission, vision, and values to impact organizational culture.
• Identify the legal issues.
• Discuss the effectiveness of the organization’s approach to recovery.
• Competency 5: Create strategies for recovery from exposure to liabilities.
• Describe the organization’s strategies for recovery from exposure to liabilities.

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.