Employment Law: The Basics

Abstract

Employment law issues impact all business enterprises in both for-profit and non-profit settings. Examples illustrating the enormous costs of violating or simply being accused of running afoul of employment laws abound. In addition, the cost to defend these lawsuits can quickly become very large and even result in the actual failure of small, thinly-capitalized enterprises. The purpose of this introduction to employment law is to provide anyone--- including entrepreneurs and busy students, with an overview of the source, foundation, basic and emerging issues surrounding this important topic. Our goal is to convey this primer in a format readable within 20 minutes of diligent effort. Ample additional resources are presented in our footnotes for those desiring a more robust discussion.

Keywords: affirmative action, age, benefits, Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VII, COVID-19 pandemic, disability, discrimination, EEOC, employee, employment law, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, gender, human resources, Internet, LGBTQ, labor law, national origin, OSHA