Employers are constantly facing new and complex employment laws in today's environment. New laws regarding bullying, health insurance, sexuality, pregnancy, and so much more have shaped the way a business environment is run today. This essay is going to discuss some of the major points including; how laws have changed, how they are making a difference, and how to make changes in the workplace to effectively apply these rules. Employers must be able to get a grasp on these continuously changing laws and rules and exercise them every day.
Among the laws that have changed since 1963, two stand out as most significant to employers. Laws regarding employee background checks have changed very recently (January 2014). Because of the "ban the box  law, it has prohibited private sector employers from seeking criminal background information from an applicant. It has allowed an applicant to become a potential candidate, given an interview, and an offer before he/she is asked for criminal background information. For example, recently Human Resource directors at a large corporation interviewed with a candidate and said they would first interview, second give a physical examination, and last do a background check. Another law that has changed are regarding paid and unpaid leave policies. Many jurisdictions have expanded employee rights to take different types of unpaid leave. California updating their regulations regarding the California Family Rights Act is an illustration of these changes. These are just two of several other changes that take effect in the workplace every day.
Clearly, there are several laws in many different areas that have changed since 1963. An important question to consider is, are laws making a difference in the workplace? Whether or not these laws have made certain aspects of business more complicated, they have made a major difference in all aspects of business. Discrimination laws are a great example of this. Would the ...