Legal Issues in Reduction of Workforce Simulation Essay

Legal Issues in Reduction of Workforce Simulation - Essay Example If terminated, the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA) could be called out, as well as Employment at Will (Reed, O.L., Shedd, P.J., Morehead, J.W., & Corley, R.N.). Female, Age 28 Contractor, Good Attendance, Below Average Production, Rescued Two Major Accounts, College Dropout, Public Relations Skills, Customer Service, Telemarketing, Sales, Good Listener (2007, University of Phoenix). If terminated, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Chapter 14 could be called out (2005, Reed, O.L., Shedd, P.J., Morehead, J.W., & Corley, R.N.). Female, Age 30 Pregnant, Contractor, Poor Attendance, Average Production, Contractor, No Special Achievements, Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, Troubleshooting, (2007, University of Phoenix). If terminated, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act could be called out (2005, Reed, O.L., Shedd, P.J., Morehead, J.W., & Corley, R.N.). There are certain extenuating regulatory circumstances (e.g., exceptions to employment at will, or a collective bargaining agreement) that would affect the decision to terminate these people. Simulations such as these help business managers and those with a vested interest in an organization or in learning the trade a good perspective on a real-world situation. Each of these is represented in the above table in the form of a law or act as listed. Under the agency principle, it is your obligation that you act in the best interest of the organization as opposed to self interest. Therefore, your decision on which three people to lay off must align with the best interests of the organization. The above table shows both flaws and strengths of certain individuals that are being considered for termination. The final decisions were determined based upon the best interest of Fast... The author of this essay constructs a fictional company and fictional case to understand how to make a right decision regarding the termination of employees. The author is considering downsizing due to their recent decision to leave the online distribution market. In order to downsize, the company has decided to terminate three of its employees based on their work evaluations. The observer in this case is a senior manager from the Human Resources Department at Fast Serve. His objective is to determine which three out of five potential employees are to be terminated. This may sound easy enough, but it gets tricky due to certain laws that protect employees from unfair treatment, including termination, in the workplace. The observer has two weeks to make a decision that is in the best interest of Fast Serve and that does not violate any laws. Through understanding the decisions that were made in this exercise, the viewer gains a better understanding of regulatory requirements that govern the termination of employees. The laws that were considered in this case were those that protect a company’s employees against unfair treatment or wrongful termination. As was learned in the case with Manson, sometimes it is in a company’s best interest to assist an employee rather than terminate him or her (University of Phoenix, 2007) In conclusion, decisions of this nature must be made in light of what is legal and what is ethical. A company must make decisions that are in their own best interest without losing valuable talent or risking a lawsuit.