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Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Issues of Human Resources

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Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Issues of Human Resources
Tara Moreno
HCS/341
August 24, 2015
Angela Thomas

Human resources are greatly impacted by the legal, safety, and regulatory issues that pertain to their company’s employees. The statement, “common sense and compassion has been replaced with litigation”, implies that companies today have become so engrossed with avoiding legal liabilities and lawsuits by employees that a cold management style becomes the result. Human resource managers must be well informed of regulations and laws in place that protect employee and employer rights and enforce employer responsibilities as they pertain to legal, safety, and regulatory issues in the workplace.
There are many legal issues that companies must adhere to that are enforced by the Department of Labor. These laws are set in place to protect both the employee and the employer and to ensure fairness and ethical behaviors within the workplace. Some of the legal aspects of human resources that are governed by the Department of Labor include, but are not limited to; wages and hours, workplace safety, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ("U.s. Department Of Labor", n.d.).
Employers are required to pay minimum wage to non-exempt employees for regular hours worked and time and a half pay when overtime hours are worked. The standards for wage and overtime pay are set forth by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), while the Wage and Hour Division enforces these standards. Additionally, businesses that employ minors under the age of 16 (or age 18, depending on the job), are closely monitored for compliance by the Wage and Hour Division as well ("U.s. Department Of Labor", n.d.).
Workplace safety is another legal issue that human resources must oversee. Employers are responsible for ensuring that their employees’ work environment is safe and free of hazards. This

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