D352: Employment and Labor Law

Employment and Labor Law covers the legal framework around hiring, managing and ending employment, and how HR balances employer risk with employee rights.

WGU places it in term 2 of the B.S. Human Resource Management standard path at 3 competency units, and recommends taking Functions of Human Resources first.

Students often struggle with application. Knowing what the ADA says is not the same as deciding what an employer should do when an employee requests an accommodation, and the course tests the second.

What D352 Covers

WGU describes recruitment, termination and discrimination law, employment-at-will, EEO, the ADA, OSHA and other workplace laws, plus current trends and managing risk in employment relationships. The competencies ask you to:

• Describe how statutory, administrative and judicial decisions affect labor relations.
• Recommend employment actions that balance risk management with the rights of employer and employee.
• Recommend strategies to prevent discrimination, limit employer risk and manage compliance with laws and policies.

Key Concepts Explained

Employment-at-Will and Its Exceptions

In most US states, either party can end employment at any time for any lawful reason. Exceptions include discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract and public policy, such as firing someone for jury service.

Three Sources of Law

Statutes are passed by legislatures (for example Title VII). Administrative rules and guidance come from agencies such as the EEOC, the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board. Judicial decisions interpret both. The first competency asks how all three shape labor relations.

Reasonable Accommodation

Under the ADA, employers covered by the law must provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities unless it causes undue hardship. The interactive process, a good-faith dialogue with the employee, is central.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Key Federal Laws to Know

State and local laws can add protections, so recommendations should note that local requirements also apply.

Managing Terminations Lawfully

Termination decisions carry the highest legal risk, so the risk-management competency often appears in termination scenarios. A defensible process usually includes:

1. A clear, job-related reason consistent with policy.
2. Documentation of performance problems or misconduct and any warnings given.
3. Consistent treatment compared with similar cases.
4. A check for possible retaliation, such as a recent complaint or leave request.
5. A respectful meeting and accurate final pay in line with state rules.

Even under at-will employment, following these steps protects both the employee's rights and the employer.

Where Students Get Stuck

• Missing issues. Scenarios often hide two or three legal problems; read twice.
• One-sided recommendations. The competency asks you to balance employer risk with employee rights.
• Forgetting retaliation. Acting against someone who complained is a separate violation.
• No documentation advice. Good records are central to managing risk.

Study Tips for D352

• Use an issue, rule, application, conclusion structure for scenario answers.
• Keep a law summary table and add a one-line example to each row.
• Read agency guidance summaries from the EEOC and the Department of Labor in plain language.
• Practice writing recommendations a manager could follow the next day.

How We Help with D352

Send the task, scenario, rubric and any feedback. An HR writer with employment law knowledge prepares a custom analysis, explains how each law applies, or reviews your draft for missed issues and balance. Our human resources assignment help guide covers our wider HR support.

GradeEssays is independent of Western Governors University. Our work is educational, not legal advice, and you submit your own work under WGU's academic integrity rules. Every order is written from scratch, plagiarism-checked and covered by free revisions within the scope of your original request.