Imagine that HR leadership is busy integrating the HR teams from both hospitals and they want to make sure department members are operating in concert with one another on a range of topics. Over the next several weeks, leadership plans to have you conduct three brown bag sessions (informal lunch-time presentations) that examine the topics of record keeping, ethics and law, and succession planning. They have asked you to write an executive summary of the content planned for each session in advance.
Session 1: Maintaining Accurate Employee Records—In this session, you identify, and elaborate upon, four reasons for maintaining accurate and objective employee records.
Session 2: Ethical and Legal Termination—In this session, you examine the legal and ethical aspects of selecting and terminating an employee out of a group of people with similar performance, behaviors, and jobs as a part of a broad-ranging cost-saving initiative. Employee differences:
One has a disability.
One is paid significantly more than the others.
One is 60 years of age and older than the others.
One is planning on soon taking an extended family leave
Session 3: Succession Planning—In this session, you recommend a process to identify and groom an internal candidate to move into a senior-level leadership position in a health care organization such as CEO, COO, and CFO.
Consider the scenario above and imagine that your audience is a group of department managers. Write an executive summary that introduces the topics in an introductory paragraph and then describes the content to be delivered in each of the three sessions in detail. Each session description should be two pages in length (six total pages plus a cover page).
Your work will be measured against the following criteria:
Identify, and elaborate upon, four reasons for maintaining accurate and objective employee records.
Analyze the legal implications or requirements of a termination decision. (Make sure to reference specific statutes or laws that govern this area of employment law.)
Analyze the ethical facets of a termination decision. (Make sure to reference an ethical framework to support your assertions or positions.)
Recommend and justify a process to identify and groom a candidate for a senior-level position.
Full Answer Section
There are four main reasons for maintaining accurate employee records:
- To comply with legal requirements. Many laws and regulations require employers to keep certain records about their employees. For example, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to keep records of employees' hours worked and wages paid.
- To protect the organization from legal liability. Accurate records can help the organization defend itself against lawsuits, such as discrimination or wrongful termination lawsuits.
- To make informed decisions about employees. Accurate records can help employers make informed decisions about employee performance, compensation, and benefits. For example, if an employee is consistently late for work, the employer can review their attendance records to see if there is a pattern.
- To provide documentation for employee benefits. Accurate records can be used to provide documentation for employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement benefits.
Session 2: Ethical and Legal Termination
This session will discuss the legal and ethical aspects of terminating an employee. When terminating an employee, it is important to follow the correct procedures to avoid legal liability. It is also important to be aware of the ethical implications of termination decisions.
There are a number of legal requirements that employers must follow when terminating an employee. These requirements vary from state to state, so it is important to consult with an employment lawyer to ensure compliance.
Some of the ethical considerations that employers should take into account when terminating an employee include:
- The employee's performance and behavior. Is the employee meeting the expectations of their job? Have they been disciplined for any reason?
- The employee's seniority. How long has the employee been with the organization?
- The employee's age. Is the employee over the age of 40? If so, the employer may be subject to age discrimination laws.
- The employee's disability. Does the employee have a disability? If so, the employer may be subject to disability discrimination laws.
Session 3: Succession Planning
This session will discuss the process of identifying and grooming an internal candidate to move into a senior-level leadership position. Succession planning is important for organizations to ensure that they have a pool of qualified candidates to fill key positions when they become vacant.
There are a number of steps involved in succession planning, including:
- Identifying key positions. The organization should identify the key positions that need to be filled through succession planning.
- Identifying potential candidates. The organization should identify potential candidates for the key positions.
- Developing a succession plan. The organization should develop a plan for grooming the potential candidates for the key positions.
- Implementing the succession plan. The organization should implement the succession plan and monitor its progress.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the topics that will be covered in the three brown bag sessions. These sessions are designed to provide HR professionals with the information they need to effectively manage employee records, make ethical and legal termination decisions, and develop a succession plan.
Sample Answer
The following three brown bag sessions will examine the topics of record keeping, ethics and law, and succession planning. These topics are important for HR professionals to understand, as they can have a significant impact on the organization.
Session 1: Maintaining Accurate Employee Records
This session will discuss the importance of maintaining accurate and objective employee records. Accurate records can help protect the organization from legal liability, and they can also be used to make informed decisions about employee performance, compensation, and benefits.