Human Resource ManagementLecture 5
MGT 350
Last Lecture• What is equal employment opportunity?• Determining Potential Discriminatory Practices
– The 4/5ths Rule
– Restricted Policy
– Geographical Comparisons
– McDonnell-Douglas Test
• Three defenses:– Business necessity– Bona Fide occupations qualifications– Seniority System
• Comparable worth • Glass ceiling
Topic
Employee Rights and HR Communications
Introduction
• Employee rights have become one of the more important human resource issues.
• The laws have increasingly constrained employer ‘s actions related to employee rights.
Employee Rights
• Basic rights of employees.– Sick Leave– Public holiday– Weekly holiday– Minimum wage
Employment Rights Legislation and Its HRM Implications
• The Drug-Free Workplace– It is Important for the organization to provide a
drug free environment.
– Covered organizations• must establish and disseminate policies• provide substance-abuse awareness programs
Employment Rights Legislation and Its HRM Implications
• Drug-free policies must include:– What is expected of employees– Penalties for infractions of policies– Substance abuse awareness programs– Disseminated to all employees
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Drug Testing – The severity of substance abuse in
organizations has led to use of drug testing.
– Drug testing of current employees typically:• Offers rehabilitation to those who fail• Communicates that drugs will not be tolerated
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Drug Testing – Should be done after a job offer is made.– Those who fail are generally no longer
considered. • Communicating clear policies and procedures
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Honesty Tests – Written tests to get applicants to
reveal information about their integrity.
– Used to predict theft and drug use– Multiple questions on the same topic
to assess consistency of responses. – Should not be used as the sole
criterion for a hiring decision.
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Whistle-blowing
– occurs when an employee reports his/her employer to an outside agency over what the employee believes is an illegal or unethical practice.
– Many firms have voluntarily adopted policies to protect employees who identify problems.
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Employee Monitoring and Workplace Security
• Theft• Revealing of trade secrets to competitors• Using the customer database for personal gain
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Employee Monitoring and Workplace Security – Must balance these security
needs with employee rights. – Develop and communicate
policies for monitoring• computer• e-mail• telephone
Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights
• Workplace Romance – Some companies try to prevent
relationships between employees because of potential discrimination or sexual harassment issues
– Others view romance as having a positive effect.
– Many companies have issued policies and guidelines on how relationships at work may exist.
The Employment-at-Will Doctrine
• The doctrine, based on common law, allows employers to dismiss employees at any time for any reason.
• Has been modified to prohibit termination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.
Discipline and Employee Rights
Discipline
• A system of rules of conduct or method of practice.• The trait of being well behaved.
– A condition where employees conduct themselves in accordance with the organization’s rules and standards of acceptable behavior.
Discipline and Employee Rights
• The most frequent violations requiring disciplinary action involve:– Attendance– On-the-job behaviors– Dishonesty – Outside activities
Discipline and Employee Rights
• Disciplinary Guidelines – Make disciplinary action corrective rather
than punitive. – Make disciplinary action progressive; i.e.
verbal warning, written warning, suspension, dismissal.
Discipline and Employee Rights
• Disciplinary Actions – Written verbal warning– Written warning– Suspension– Dismissal
Less Severe More Severe
Verbal Warning
Written Warning
Suspension Dismissal
Discipline and Employee Rights
• Disciplinary Guidelines The stove is red so be careful.Warning is issued so no chance of another violation. Follow the Hot-stove rule; i.e. immediate
response; ample warning.
Employee Counseling
• Direction or helpful suggestions regarding a decision or future course of action.
• This approach is most appropriate when a performance problem is not amenable to training and development or mentoring and coaching.
Employee Counseling
• Listen to the employee to uncover the reason for poor performance.
• Focus on performance-related behaviors
• Get the employee to accept the problem, and work to find solutions.
• Managers are not expected to solve employee’s personal problems
• Employee Assistance Program
Using Employee Communications to Enhance Employee Rights
• Why Use an Employee Handbook? – Helps employees learn about the company– Provides central information source
concerning policies, work rules and benefits. – Helps ensure that HRM policies will be fair,
equitable, and consistently applied.
Using Employee Communications to Enhance Employee Rights
• Why Use an Employee Handbook? – Creates sense of security and
commitment– Can be used to provide information
to new employees.– Must be seen as useful, concise,
well-organized and must be continually updated.
Using Employee Communications to Enhance Employee Rights
• Using Information Technology for Employee Communications – Provides greater flexibility and timeliness of
information. – Networked communication - e-mail, instant
messaging, voice intranets and extranets, and the talking Internet.
– Wireless communications - microwave signals, satellites, radio waves, radio antennas, and infrared light rays
Using Employee Communications to Enhance Employee Rights
Complaint Procedures – Step 1: Employee-supervisor– Step 2: Employee-employer relations– Step 3: Employee-department head– Step 4: Employee-president
Using Employee Communications to Enhance Employee Rights
• Why Companies Support Suggestion Programs – Allow employees to tell management what
they perceive they are doing right or wrong – Connected to other management systems,
such as continuous improvement processes
– Suggestions must be acknowledged and employees recognized for their efforts
Summary
• Basic rights of employees• Honesty/Drug Tests • Whistle-blowing• Employee Monitoring and Workplace Security
• Theft• Revealing of trade secrets to competitors• Using the customer database for personal gain
• Workplace Romance • The Employment-at-Will Doctrine
Summary• Discipline• Factors to consider when disciplining• The most frequent violations requiring disciplinary action involve
– Attendance
– On-the-job behaviors
– Dishonesty
– Outside activities
Make disciplinary action progressive; i.e. verbal warning, written warning, suspension, dismissal.
Hot-stove rule; i.e. immediate response; ample warning.
Employee Counseling.Why Use an Employee Handbook?
Complaint Procedures