Employment Laws the Need for Seasonal Employees

¶ … Employment Laws

The need for seasonal employees comes at harvest time every year for agricultural farming companies. In order to have enough employees to get the job done on time, often workers come across the border from Mexico. There are a number of federal laws that employers must follow including the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Age Discrimination Act of 1967, Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Tax Reform Acts of 1969, 1976, and 1986, Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, among others. Employees have the right to equal treatment at work regardless of age, gender, race, religion, national origin, disability or citizenship status (Your Employment Rights, 2010). The only requirement is a legal authorization to work in the U.S. Employers must complete and maintain a Form I-9, which lists different documents employees can use to show proof of identity and work eligibility, for each employee. The employer must provide safe transportation, if they transport employees in company vehicles to work locations, and clean, safe housing, if it is provided by the employer. Out in the fields, employers must provide clean drinking water, toilets, and hand washing facilities. "Effective July 24, 2009 the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 an hour (Summary of Texas Minimum Wage Act, 2011). Employers must also provide each employee with a written earnings statement containing certain information about the employee's pay.

To achieve equilibrium, HRM focuses on planning, implementation, and evaluation (Human Resource Management (HRM)). Planning needs to have policies geared around state and federal regulations. The job description and pay range needs to be determined first. Implementation involves the acquisition, development, compensation, and maintenance. Applicants can be evaluated based on experience, training, and abilities to do the job. An initial training needs to be developed where employees know what is expected on the job. Documentation, such as the application, interview notes, date of hire, conditions of employment, etc. should be maintained in employee files. Monitoring during employment can evaluate the effectiveness of the policies and training.