Legal issues in employment paper
Reaction Paper – Legal Issues in Employment
Windy G. Nunnery
University of Central Oklahoma
Working in human resources, I am exposed daily to situations and questions that involve the legal issues related to employment. Although I have some familiarity with employment law, legal issues in employment is an area that changes daily. The Legal Issues in Employment class has provided me with insight and exposure to areas of employment law that I had minimal understanding. The first, most profound legal issue I have learned from this class is the information presented on social media, and the use of computers, cameras, and spyware in the workplace. Being in HR, I have been exposed to, and understand the ramifications of social media, but was surprised how easy it is for companies to obtain information on their employees via social media. It is absolutely the employers right to monitor how an employee uses company computers, email, phones, vehicles, etc. Research has proven that much of the work day of many Americans is spent shopping online, on Facebook, or just general surfing of the internet. Although intrusive, it is essential that employers assure that employees are being productive during their work day, and not getting paid for outside interests. Because Facebook and other social media sites change their privacy settings frequently, it is important for individuals to be aware that they could possibly have their personal information exposed to the general public. It is essential for people to check their settings frequently, and also be aware of what they post on these websites. The general rule should be, if you don’t want everyone to see it, don’t post it. Another area of learning for me is the hiring practices of a company, and what information a company can and cannot inquire of an employee. While it is helpful for companies to be educated on the person’s background they are
Windy G. Nunnery
University of Central Oklahoma
Working in human resources, I am exposed daily to situations and questions that involve the legal issues related to employment. Although I have some familiarity with employment law, legal issues in employment is an area that changes daily. The Legal Issues in Employment class has provided me with insight and exposure to areas of employment law that I had minimal understanding. The first, most profound legal issue I have learned from this class is the information presented on social media, and the use of computers, cameras, and spyware in the workplace. Being in HR, I have been exposed to, and understand the ramifications of social media, but was surprised how easy it is for companies to obtain information on their employees via social media. It is absolutely the employers right to monitor how an employee uses company computers, email, phones, vehicles, etc. Research has proven that much of the work day of many Americans is spent shopping online, on Facebook, or just general surfing of the internet. Although intrusive, it is essential that employers assure that employees are being productive during their work day, and not getting paid for outside interests. Because Facebook and other social media sites change their privacy settings frequently, it is important for individuals to be aware that they could possibly have their personal information exposed to the general public. It is essential for people to check their settings frequently, and also be aware of what they post on these websites. The general rule should be, if you don’t want everyone to see it, don’t post it. Another area of learning for me is the hiring practices of a company, and what information a company can and cannot inquire of an employee. While it is helpful for companies to be educated on the person’s background they are