Employment Laws Differ in a Global Environment - Essay Example

Employment laws differ in a global environment in a number of ways. These differences are usually evident in terms of employment, severance policies, consideration for employment, employment litigation, human rights, compensation, discharge, and statutory protection among others (Honeyball, 2008). A good example of a country whose employment laws are different from those of the US is Canada. For example, in Canada, employers must provide employees with at least pay in lieu of statutory notice of termination, whereas, in the US, employment is ‘at will’ and a notice of termination to an employee is only required if a contract was signed.

Another difference in employment laws in the US and Canada is seen from the human rights perspective. Both Canada and the USA prohibit discrimination in employment on grounds such as religion, ethnic origin, gender, and color among others. When it comes to disability, discrimination is also prohibited in both countries, and employers are required to make necessary accommodations for workers with disabilities. However, in Canada, employers face tougher conditions than in the US since they are required to accommodate drug addicts and alcoholics.

These two conditions are recognized as disabilities by Canadian employment laws, and they require accommodation (Honeyball, 2008). There is no valid reason for these differences. All employees and employers should be equally protected by the law; regardless of the region, they are located. It does not make sense to protect employers or employees in one area against something, and totally disregard the same thing in another area. Therefore, I do not agree with these differences. The main reason for this is because these differences create an unnecessary rift.

For example, why would employers in Canada be required to accommodate drug addicts and alcoholics? It simply does not make sense because such people have made decisions to abuse drugs and alcohol on their own. The employers should not be forced to accommodate them. This should be the case in all regions (Honeyball, 2008).