Lesson Overview

Human Resource Management must always provide certain functional services to an organization that, as practitioners often say, will “keep the trains running.” In that context, HR will also make sure that all decisions are consistent with organizational strategy. The need to conform to external influences extends, however, beyond the organization. HR must also consider account the legal environment in which functional responsibilities exist. This lesson will focus particularly on the legislative and judicial discrimination law that has so profoundly altered the way organizations address a variety of duties from selection to compensation to removing employees.

Lesson Objectives

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to

• compare and contrast at-will employment with situations where employees and employers sign employment contracts;
• identify major pieces of legislation that govern employer/employee relations in the workplace;
• identify other sources of workplace regulation (i.e., administrative; judicial); and
• apply rules and regulations to workplace policy and practice.

Lesson Readings & Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 3 Course Schedule.