Legally Compliant Employment Issues - Research Paper Example

The document should include a section describing the work to be done by the employee. The required working hours should be stipulated in the agreement. A section stating the salary or wage that the employee will be paid is crucial. An employment agreement should have a clause on the company’s redundancy measures. Also, essential to the agreement is a section on the terms of resolving the employment contract.

A proper description of the duties and responsibilities of different jobs is essential in human resources practices. Such practices include recruitment and screening, planning, orientation, appraisal and in the classification of positions. An effective job description will outline the characteristics of the position clearly. It should spell out the demands of the job, expected supervision and the distinguishing features that demarcate the job from others in the organization. The proper job description will list the tasks involved in the job and the number of people the individual will need to contact within the course of doing the job (Jackson et. al., 2009). It is essential to provide the tools for work the position needs including manuals.

Recruitment helps in getting candidates who are best qualified for a vacancy. The recruitment process should be fair and should uphold transparency. It should outline the procedures involved in staffing. It should provide a chance for incumbent employees to apply for the vacancy. Describing the process both internally and externally provides a chance for prospective applicants to gauge the fairness of the process. Different responsibilities and roles involved in the process should be articulated (Banks & Banks, 2011). A fair recruitment process will provide a clear description of the vacancy. Recruiters need to be well-versed with laws and regulations that govern employment. Also, important to recruitment is the provision of clear procedures for how applicants can register complaints and appeals. Recruitment is an influential element of an organization’s public relations.

Selection interview helps in picking candidates for hiring interviews or for actual hiring. They are administered by an individual or a panel. The interviews could be formally structured or informal. Employment laws prescribe certain dos and do nots in screening and interviewing. Some elements should be avoided during interviews including but not limited to an individual’s disability, religion, sexual orientation, parental status and ethnic or national origin. Different jobs need varying aptitudes and skills. Interviews do not entirely suffice in testing some of those aptitudes (Jackson et. al., 2009). Appropriate tests will test a candidate’s ability to handle the job. They cannot be used as alternatives to interviews rather they should complement selection interviews. Interviewees can panic or exaggerate certain things during the interviews. Appropriate tests should help to objectively cross-check the evidence that interviewees provide.

Orientation of employees should provide details of the philosophy of the company, its values and mission. Adequate orientation helps inculcate enthusiasm in employees. Training in the workplace is instrumental in reinforcing the structure of the workplace. Employees need training in areas of safety and policies (Walsh, 2013). Safety training reduces the incidence of injuries in the workplace. When employees have understood the company’s policies, they can perform better and be more productive. A company that upholds sound employee orientation and training reduces its liability to charges of illegal practices in employment procedures. Employee training should be fair and open to all.