Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements

Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements

Most of what a human resources (HR) department does is with the managing and over seeing of its present and future employees. HR managers also need to be aware of the legal, safety, and regulatory impact on his or her organization as well as managing and over seeing all employees. It is the responsibility of the HR manager to know and understand the rights of both the employee’s and the employer and what they are comprised. HR managers need to know the laws and regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Americans with Disability Act of 1990, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Labor Relations Board. The Federal Government has placed these departments into place to help protect both the employee and employer from unjust acts made by either side. What about the saying “Common sense and compassion in the workplace has been replaced by litigation” has society become a nation of litigation and how does this effect an organization and its employees.

With significant changes in employment laws we are seeing up-rise in employment litigation, from discrimination, safety issues, regulatory, and legal issues which seems to becoming a trend. Many work environments are filled with conflicts, and diversity of culture and motivator’s, which prepare for concerns surfacing from a wide variety of situations. There are emotions on both sides and at the forefront of litigations; frustration, confusion, and misunderstandings, of balancing home and workplace are among the top contributors (Gilbert, n.d.). When working in this type of environment HR managers must be competent and keep up with a multitude of new laws, policies, and regulations, which are forever changing. Having a contract can help both the employee and employer because it spells out the rights, terms, and obligations for both parties involved (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, 2010)....