Employee rights and employment laws
Introduction
In his article, Jeffrey Mello states that “…the Americans With Disability Act (ADA) establishes that HIV infection or the perception of HIV infection is a protected disability, giving employees some added incentive to be open about their condition due to the perceived legal protection offered.” Employees in any given workplace tend to feel more at ease opening up about their conditions, whether illness related or otherwise when they believe that there is an employment law or clause that legally bides their employers to treat them equally as compared to other employees. The Americans with Disabilities Act that was signed by President Bush in the year 1990, and other employment acts and laws like it are strategically effective in ensuring that employees are not discriminated in their workplaces for whatever reasons. As argued by John Rowan, managers are required to thoroughly understand the underlying ethical requirements for them to understand and handle issues regarding employee rights should they arise. This means that employers and their management staff need to have a deeper understanding of the moral and overall foundation of employee rights. Notably, most employers in the name of understanding employees and their reasons tend to gather information in a way that may become intrusive. As opposed to the information employers would obtain from their potential or current employees not so long ago, they now shift their focus to the employee’s behaviours and conduct when they are not working and even more their lifestyle. Information like this is not related to someone’s work performance and capabilities and can be used in worst-case scenarios against an employee. Employers and managers are morally obligated to not only understand employee rights and employment laws but also to see to it that they respect and execute them as the statute requires to avoid legal entanglements and ensure an efficient and smooth workplace.