Introduction
In the United States, there have been measures placed with the aim of enhancing equal employment opportunities to all. Amongst them are Civil Rights Act of 1991 and Whistle blowing. As a result, this research paper examines critically the implication of HR department in managing employer-employee relationship in the context of law issues.
The Civil Rights Act of 1991
This is a statute that was passed in the U.S in the attempt of trying to respond to a “series of the U.S Supreme Court decisions which were limiting the rights of employees who were suing their employees for discrimination”, (Devroy 6). The act provided a right to trial by a jury on claims dealing with discrimination and made an introduction of emotional distress damage possibilities, whilst limiting the amount that a jury could award. The act prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, religion as well as country of origin.
In dealing with this act, the HR department has to handle discrimination very carefully. However, there is no single method of dealing with discrimination. Thus, the department has a responsibility of protecting its employees from discrimination. The department should take the responsible of training managers and other employers on corporate policy and open door policy for discrimination reporting. The department should also make some efforts to talk about issues concerning ethical behaviours and safe working environment through memos and newsletters along with speeches.
It should publicly acknowledge and even reward employees who have ensured non-discriminatory working environment, and send massages that the department is very serious about discrimination issues, and any one found should be apprehended. The department can also seek the services of other recruiting agents to outsource their services during recruitments. This will enable the department to be in a safe place when cases of discrimination arise during recruitment. Last but not least, the department ought to be finding out workers’ perception concerning the organization’s culture by conducting annual employee survey related ethics and safety along with communication.
Whistle Blowing
This is an act of individuals informing another of a very sensitive illegal activity that an individual become aware of in the course of them executing their duties, tasks and responsibility in place of work. In dealing with Whistle blowing, the HR department should create policies for reporting issues or violations that might include clear statement that retaliation will never be tolerated as well as setting clear procedures of reporting by the use of mechanisms that are formal such as holiness. The department can also make an establishment that connects company code of ethics, standards of safety as well as measurement of performances.
It should do this by acknowledging and rewarding employees who ends up holding themselves to the highest standards of ethics. The department ought to encourage “whistle blowing by providing workers with whistles and encourage them to blow whenever necessary” (Kathryn par 2). The department should encourage employees to first blow their whistles internally before blowing them outside. It can do this by creating a very strong internal reporting culture.
The department should educate company workers on the issue resolution as being the best method avoiding expensive government investigations and law suits. The department should also document procedures as well as policies and histories of following up on workers’ complaints in a very critical manner file their response to different investigations, audit or even law suits. “The department should ensure that, any investigation of a reported case ought to be carried out by qualified people, and should be initiated with immediate effect following the whistle, and conclusions should be made as soon as the company regulations allow” ,(Kathryn par 1).
Works cited
Devroy, Ann. “Bush Vetoes Civil Rights Bill; Measure Said to Encourage Job Quotas; Women, Minorities Sharply Critical.” Washington Post 1990, Print.
Kathryn Carlson. Want To Stop Whistleblowing? Give Out Whistles, 2011. Web.