Employee Rights Protected by Labor Laws - Research Paper

Introduction

Employee behavior and conduct in an organization is controlled by internal company policies as well as Labor laws. An organized labor body focuses on the treatment of its members by the organization as well as the government (Weiler, 2009). In many companies, employees work under labour contract or a memorandum of understanding between management and labour. The case study provided in the book shows how these laws protect employees from exploitation by employers (Ward, 2015). However, these laws should be understood to avoid breach by either the organization or the workers. There should be various ways of solving any difference which emerges between the employees and the management involving these laws. In this paper, I will reflect on an incidence similar to one in the book, to show how these laws influence working conditions.

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I relate this firefighter incidence with an instance which occurred between the manager and a chef in a Cafe. The chef was being forced to work while feeling unwell. The heat in the kitchen had affected the health of the chef. The management wanted the chef to work while sick without bearing in mind his condition. The chef walked out and went home to seek medical attention. The manager was frustrated, insisting that the chef should follow instructions from him. The chef was afterwards suspended reason being that he was rude and incompetent at work. This brought mixed reactions in the workplace until the other workers went on strike terming that as a breach of their agreement with the company. The labouring body had to be involved in this terming that one of their member's rights were violated. Labour laws state that workers should be given sick leave if they fall ill while on duty.

Demonstration by the workers led to an urgent meeting between the employee's representatives and the management. Labor representatives were also involved in the discussions. The employees were given a chance to share their grievances about the incidence. The employees argued that the action by the management to terminate the contract of the involved chef was unfair and unlawful. The administration was criticized for being rude and too authoritative. The employees insisted that the law gave them the right to seek medical attention if they feel ill in the line of duty. Labor law officers also blamed the management for not obeying the Memorandum of Understanding which insisted on right working conditions for its members. They emphasized that a sick employee cannot work efficiently and can also transmit the disease to others as well as the customers. The administration criticized both the law and the workers terming the chef incidence as unprofessional. The management insisted that the chef did not give an official notice claiming that he is unwell. They emphasized that the notice should be delivered on time to allow the administration to find a replacement on time. After hours of discussion, the meeting concluded. The administration agreed to call the chef back to work on the condition that the demonstration should stop. They also assured no further unfair treatment, but they insisted that employees should observe their conduct at work. The labor officer asked on working conditions of their members, and they also rebuked this act.

In my opinion, such incidences should be solved transparently to improve the trust between the employer and the employees. Employees should also be formal when addressing any case of mistreatment by the administration. The management should also focus on creating the right working conditions to keep their employees motivated and self-driven. The professional relationship between the management and the employee should be well maintained. In case of disagreement, they should work together in articulating the matter to develop possible solutions (Markos et al, 2010). When they solve the issue together, they will be successful in attaining the core goals of the organization. For instance, if the personal and professional relationship between the chef and the manager was rocky, then, they should come together and decide to improve it. They should start by setting goals which they can attain together and work on improving the success of the company. Through this, the work environment will be friendly, and the employees will be self-motivated to work efficiently. The incidence of the chef might have been catalyzed by the rocky relationship between the employees and the management. Maybe the outcome could be different if the employee was self-motivated. The administration should also schedule regular meetings with their employees to discuss new policies and laws. This can also be an opportunity to clarify any station procedures. However, maintaining a good relationship doesn't mean that they cannot critique each other on various decisions. They should be open to discuss different opinions to come up with the best solution to any challenge. Labour bodies should listen to both sides' views before coming up with some different policies. They should also ensure their members are competent in their work before they engage in any situation.

Conclusion

To sum up, from the Chefs case, the management was right to recall the chef to avoid building a bad company reputation. Calling for an urgent meeting between the employees' representative and the management shows the company concern on the matter. This helps in building trust between the employee and the company. Management should motivate its employee to avoid such difference in the organization. Such differences create a terrible image of the company in public. This can lead to a decline in the company's profits since the profit provider is the people.

References

Ward, M. J. (2015). Fire officer: Principles and practice (Enhanced 3rd ed.). Burlington, MA:Jones & Bartlett.

Markos, S., & Sridevi, M. S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to improving performance. International journal of business and management, 5(12), 89.

Weiler, P. C. (2009). Governing the workplace: The future of labor and employment law. Harvard University Press.