Employment Law Journal: Home Improvement, Employment Issues

This assignment presents a student's reflective journal entries on various aspects of employment law within the context of starting and managing a home improvement business. Unit I focuses on the initial hiring process, discussing the choice between employees and contractors, and outlining the skills needed for ten employees. Unit II addresses the challenges of rapid business growth, including the implementation of structured interviews for new hires in finance and HR, and the concerns associated with the process. Unit III explores the issue of workplace bullying, reflecting on a personal experience and advocating for legislative responses. Finally, Unit IV examines leave policies, discussing the need for paid leave in situations of family illness and the author's altered perspective after experiencing unpaid leave. The journals provide insights into business management, hiring, and employee relations, highlighting practical considerations and ethical perspectives in the workplace.

Running head: EMPLOYMENT LAW
EMPLOYMENT LAW
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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EMPLOYMENT LAW
Unit I Journal
I decided to set up my own home improvement business and for that I needed ten
employees who had different skills. Therefore I decided that I would hire ten employees with
different skills instead of hiring ten contractors. Since the employees were less I had to make
sure that all the employees are skilled in their department for the smooth functioning of the
business. Firstly I would choose two employees who would have a degree in interior
designing as they will know the requirements and thought process of the customers. Then
there would be one person who would look after the portfolio and manage the designs. An
employee who is experienced in handling project management will also be hired as he/she
will be able to handle the team and keep a check on them. Two employees will be there who
will be experienced as well as skilled in making computational designs. Computer designs as
well as graphics are very essential as it is a blue print that will be shown to the customers
initially. A person with artistic skills will be selected. Another employee who is confident to
speak and finalise the project with others will also be selected. Finally two employees
experienced in AutoCad, SketchUp and other software will be chosen so that they can take
the project forward and make the necessary changes with their software skills.
Unit II Journal
As home improvement business is growing day by day therefore there is an intense
need for extra employees as well as a finance and human resource department that will be
looking after the needs and problems of all the employees. Therefore, I will have to make
sure that the employees that are hired are efficient as well as skilled in their job. I will go for
structured interview process. This is a standardized process of interviewing people for
selected jobs. It has a detailed job description so the right and qualified candidates will be
coming for the interview. Candidates will be asked questions according to the job criteria and

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EMPLOYMENT LAW
everyone will be compared on the same scale as every person who will be coming for the
interview will have the same qualification. However, one of the concerns that I have
regarding this process is that it will take time to find the right and fit candidate for the job.
This will affect the business that needs urgent hiring. Even the employees might get
frustrated as the demand is more but workers are less. However, the new HR and finance
department will solve the above issue after coming to the office.
Unit III Journal
Workplace bullying has become very common nowadays but it can have severe
consequences on the health of an employee who is a victim of bullying in workplace. Though
all organisations state that they do not support bullying but there is always one or the other
types of bullying that are present in the organisation. One of my friends has been a subject of
bullying by her manager in the organisation. The manager though portrayed himself as an
innocent and friendly man was a cunning person. He purposely did not give challenging
projects to my friend and kept her out of important decisions and conferences as he was
gender biased. He felt that women were less capable than men. My friend suffered a lot of
mental stress due to the above problem. Therefore, according to me bullying requires a
legislative response so that none of the organisations are able to discriminate or harass any
employees on any discriminatory grounds. If there is legislative rules then the organisation
will not be able to bully their employee. Though I have not faced any bullying behaviour in
my organisation yet I believe that there should be a strong legislation on the above as
uncertainty can happen at any time.
Unit IV Journal
There is always a criteria for paid as well as unpaid leave in every organisation. Paid
leave is one where the employees are given payment even when they are on leave whereas

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EMPLOYMENT LAW
unpaid leave is one where no money is given when the employee is on leave. There was a
situation when I had to go for unpaid leave as one of my family members fell sick and I
desperately needed a leave as my presence was required at home. Even when the situation
was so serious the employers did not consider my situation and asked me to go for unpaid
leave. It was at that time that I realised that this system of unpaid leave is wrong and should
not be encouraged. I was shocked as I would not receive my payment even when I had
always been an honest and had working employee who did not take any leave previously.
Therefore, I believe that there should be certain criteria’s for unpaid leave and in situation of
illness the organisation should provide paid leave as this is the time when the employee needs
monetary help. The employer on the other hand cannot give paid leave benefits if the
employee has not been a member of the organisation for a year and if the latter is unable to
provide for paid leaves. This altered my perspective as I realised that I was only seven
months also in the company and the organisation too was just a startup with few people.