Assignment 1: Compliance and Fair Treatment in Action

It is reasonable to expect that a place of work operates in a manner that is legal and equitable. However, rarely are things quite that simple. The legal system covering employment issues is rather complex, with many layers and gray areas, and the concept of fairness suffers from a mostly subjective interpretation. Nonetheless, to be proper representatives of the field of industrial/organizational (I/O), we need to be aware of legal and ethical issues in the workplace and be prepared to guide organizational decisions, policies, and processes accordingly.

For this assignment, respond to the following:

Provide an example of a violation of employment law that you or another individual has witnessed. Include the law in question, a description of the issue, and the outcome. How could the situation have been avoided?

Discuss the role of the interview in candidates' perceptions of fairness in the selection process. What would you predict reactions to be if interviews were eliminated?

The company you work for has a large number of expatriates, most of whom are Americans placed throughout Mexico, Portugal, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. Attrition rates are high in all locations when compared to attrition rates at the US office. What two suggestions do you have for management as it attempts to reduce attrition?

You are consulting for a client who wants to install security cameras throughout the office. He or she is asking where he or she can and cannot install them. What should he or she tell employees, and what impact may this have on organizational culture or employee attitudes? What advice would you give to him or her?