The learning activity below covers several labor laws that include WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), The Fair Labor Standards Act, and Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

You just had one of those days--exciting and overwhelming. As your company's director of human relations, you have dealt with an employee asking how much leave he can take when his wife has their first baby next month. A phone call from the company's CFO involved discussions of potential layoffs in order to "make the budget." A group of employees came to meet with you, and they indicated they were talking with union organizers as a way to combat the company's policy of monitoring phone calls and e-mails. Another group of employees expressed their feelings that they were not being paid for all the time they worked.

Before heading home, you take a few minutes to reflect and ask yourself the following questions:

How is the workday calculated?

What legal requirements have to be met before layoffs can occur?

What is the company's responsibility to educate employees about their rights under the FMLA?

Can your company properly monitor its employees' phone calls and e-mails?

While responding consider the following:

The authority of an agent to act on behalf of a principal and the resulting ethical considerations.

The necessity of adequate and detailed documentation to justify employer decisions.