SRS - Employment Law (Lesson)

Introduction

Employment law is a broad area of the law that encompasses areas of the employer/employee relationships and workplace activity. This area of law consists of numerous federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions. Some of the areas covered include: employee benefits, employment discrimination, equal pay, hiring/firing practices, workplace safety, unemployment, and worker’s compensation, just to name a few. With the time that we as citizens spend in the workplace over our lifetime, our quality of life can be greatly affected by our time as an employee on a job and the laws that govern the workplace. For a business to become and continue to be successful, those involved in management must have a strong understanding of employment law. In this lesson, we will review some of the primary employment laws and how they impact business and the workplace.

Employment Law

Employment law governs the rights and duties between employers and workers. These laws are for the most part designed to keep workers safe and to ensure they are treated fairly. Employment laws are in place to protect the employer as well. Employment laws are based on federal and state statutes, legislature, administrative rules and regulations, and judicial decisions made through a court process. As mentioned, employment law is very broad and consists of thousands of laws pertaining to employer/employee relations.

Review the presentation below to take a brief look at some of the primary employment laws:

Let's Review!

Take a moment to participate in the following activity to practice your understanding of the topics in this module.  Reach out to your instructor if you have any questions.

Final Thoughts

At some point in your life you will most likely be an employee – you may already be employed part-time while in high school. Depending on your career goals, you could also possibly one day be an employer with your own employees to manage. In either case, it is very important to know your rights, responsibilities, and duties as they relate to employee/employer relationships. Our discussion here has been just a very basic view of what encompasses employment law. It is very important as a future employee or employer to understand and further study what employment law may be applicable to your situation.

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