The Value of Fair Treatment in the Workplace

You have been hired as a management consultant by a large company to examine the company’s business decisions regarding employee protections. The applicable laws are federal anti-discrimination laws, federal 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 4–6 page paper in which you do the following:

1. Analyze, identify, and explain recent legislation, within the last 10 years, that helps to protect employees from discrimination in the workplace. Provide at least two federal legislative protections. Provide some insight when the federal legislation conflicts with the state.
2. Explain the EAW doctrine and all exceptions to the doctrine. Look at the scenarios below and determine whether the decision to fire the employee is a smart one. Identify why or why not, and determine all the possible exceptions per the EAW doctrine that are, might be, or could be applicable if the employee sues for wrongful termination.
   • 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 the federal law regarding undocumented workers and whether they are eligible for state workers’ compensation 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 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.
• 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, the course title, 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.