Principles and Strategies of Employment Law Compliance - Essay Example

The fundamental principles of every business should reflect: the client(s)’ goals and concerns; the client(s) purchasing the products and services tomeet their needs; market, which is to purchase the services and products; the value of the products and services. The customers should feel confident that the products and services will do what they are supposed to do. Business ethics practiced throughout the deepest layers of a company is the heart and soul of the company’s culture. A small business should do the following: Be trustful. Trust is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, and truth of a business. Keep an open mind, the leader of an organization must be open to new ideas, ask for opinions and feedback from both the customers and team members. Meet obligations, regardless of the circumstances, do everything possible to gain the trust of past customers’ and clients and reclaim any lost business by honoring all commitments and obligations Have clear documents, re-evaluate all print materials including small business advertising, brochures, and other business documents making sure they are clear. Become community involved, remain involved in community-related issues and activities, demonstrating responsibility within the community. Maintain accounting control with a hands on approach, not only as a means of gaining a better feel for the progress of the company, but as a resource for any “questionable” activities. Be respectful, treat others with the utmost of respect, regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or other types of distinctions, always treating others with professional respect and courtesy. The business management principles are considered to be the central operation of business. Planning involves determining what the appropriate objectives for the business are and how those objectives are going to be accomplished. It is necessary to organize the structure of the resources and activities of the business, so that the objectives are accomplished. Staffing involves hiring the right people to do the activities of the business, training them to do the job and rewarding them appropriately. Directing is leadership, motivating the employees to achieve the business objectives. Controlling is the process of evaluation and correction that is needed to make certain that the business stay on track towards its goals. Planning and controlling are closely linked since planning sets the goals and standards for performance. Mr. Stonefield is planning to open a Limousine Service in Austin, Texas with twenty-five employees’ the first year with the intent of hiring more employees when the business generate profitable revenues. The Limousine Service will operate around the metropolitan area of Texas. This memo outlines on identifying applicable laws as well as the consequences of noncompliance with these laws. Included are The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Family and the Medical Leave Act of 1993, The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1986, and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. Mr. Stonefield should consider a Long-term Strategic (Business Plan) that should influence the design of benefits within the Limousine Service, the Stage of Development to include the projected rate of employment growth for the geographic deployment within Austin, Texas area that is profitability. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1986 companies with at least twenty employees must make medical coverage available at group insurance rates (100% premium plus a 2% administration fee) for as long as eighteen months after the employee leaves, whether the worker left voluntarily, retired or was dismissed. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) outlaws discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in all aspects of everyday life. Title I of the ADA protects the rights of employees and people looking for jobs. The non-discrimination aspects of Title I is the legal requirement to provide reasonable accommodations for employees and job seekers with disabilities. Accommodations make it possible for a person with a disability to perform their job, but must not create an “undue hardship” for the employer. The accommodations include providing written materials in accessible formats, such as large print, Braille, or audiotape and providing readers or sign language interpreters. The law makes it illegal for private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions to discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, promotions, wages and compensation and job training. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, prohibits employment discrimination against persons of forty years of age or older. It is unlawful for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, condition, or privileges of employment. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave under the same terms and conditions they had when they were working. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives workers and the families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events. Qualified individuals may be required to pay the entire premium for coverage up to 102 percent of the cost of the plan. COBRA requires that group health plans sponsored by employers with twenty or more employees in the prior year offer employees and their families the opportunity of a temporary extension health coverage (continuation coverage) in certain instances where coverage under the plan would otherwise end. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a result of offensive, unwelcome sexual behavior at work. There are two types of unwelcome sexual harassment which include quid pro quo sexual harassment and hostile-environment sexual harassment. The both types include unwelcome sexual advances, sexual favor request and offensive behavior of a sexual nature, under any of the following conditions: sexual harassment unreasonably interferes with the victim’s job performance, or creates an intimidating, offensive, abusive or hostile work environment for either the victim or witness; submission to sexual harassment is explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of the victim’s employment; and submission to or rejection of sexual harassment by the victim is the basis for employment decisions made by the harasser that affect the victim. References: Small Business to Business Strategies an Principles | Live News; http://live5news.org/small-business-to-business-straegies-and-principles/; 10/26/2014. The Five Fundamental Principles of Small Business Marketing; http://www.marketingforsuccess.com/marketing-plan/fundamental-principles/; 10/26/2014. The Seven Principles of Admirable Business Ethics; http://sbinformation.about.com/od/bestpractices/a/businessethics.htm; 10/26/2014. Small Business Management Principles – Small Business Notes; http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/management-principles/; 10/26/2014. Small Business Human Resources – Small Business Notes; http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/human-resources/; 10/26/2014. Financial Management – SmallBusinessNotes.com; http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/business-finances/financial-management/; 10/26/2014. Strategic Alliances – SmallBusinessNotes.com; http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/strategic-alliances.html; 10/26/2014. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), https://www.disability.gov/americans-disabilities-act/; 10/26/2014. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adea.cfm; 10/26/2014. The Family and medical Leave Act; http:www.dol.gov/whd/fmla; 10/26/2014. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA); http://www.dol.gov./dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm; 10/26/2014. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace; http://employeeissues.com/sexual_harassment.htm; 10/26/2014. Read More