Downsizing The Human Resources Department: Case Study

Cost Club
Memo
To:
Pat Sutton
From:
Leonna Whitfield cc: Norma Sutton
Date:

Re:
Downsizing the Human Resources Department

I have received your confidential update in regards to the downsizing of the Human Resources Department. Although it was a difficult decision, I have made recommendations on the three employees who should be terminated from the company as a means to cut back on costs. I will begin by listing the three employees I selected, along with the reasons for why I selected those individuals. After I have listed the selected employees and reasons for the selections, I will provide an explanation of the applicable employment laws for each discharge. I will conclude the memo by discussing the actions that management can take
Under Title VII of federal employment laws, it states that the employer has the duty to try to find a way to avoid conflict between workplace policies and an employee’s religious practices or beliefs (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). The employee may wish not to work on a particular day because it is the employee 's Sabbath. Title VII requires only reasonable accommodation of an employee’s religious practices, not satisfaction of an employee’s every desire (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). In the case of Frazee vs. Illinois Department of Employment Security, the plaintiff, who is a Christian, refused a job through Kelly Services because he considered Sunday as the Lord’s Day. His unemployment insurance was terminated because of his refusal to accept an offer for employment. He appealed the decision and lost because the Illinois Appellate Court found that in accordance with federal law, “the injunction against Sunday labor must be found in a tenet or dogma of an established religious sect. Frazee does not profess to be a member of any such sect” (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). The court also referred to his refusal to work on Sunday as a “personal professed religious belief” (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). If we can prove that we tried to reasonably accommodate Greg’s schedule to coincide
The company must be certain that they are hiring and firing based off the guidelines that are outlined in the employment laws. We must also strive to uphold the employment laws during the course of an individual’s employment with the company. This could be done by implementing regular training on employment laws and company policy. It is also important to ensure that every policy is clearly outlined in the company handbook, and that every employee signs a form acknowledging that they have read and understand company policy. Lastly, Cost Club needs to ensure that we have an accurate organizational profile in place to help keep track of staffing patterns, gender, race, and ethnic composition of every employee and