Reference no: EM132248084

1. Sammy has been employed as an inside sales representative by Furniture World for the past 3 years. When he was hired, he was given an employee handbook that covered employer’s policies which included the notice that all computers and other electronic equipment belonged to Furniture World. The company had the right to monitor the equipment and discharge anyone who was using the equipment in an unauthorized manner. The book also informed him that he was subject to random drug screenings and surveillance while he was in the corporate building. Sammy’s productivity had dropped significantly over the last 3 months and his manager called him in for a meeting. Sammy blamed the lack of sales on market conditions and said that he would work harder. When his sales did not return to the expected average, his manager decided to look at his computer history and see what Sammy had been spending his time doing. It seems that Sammy was spending about 2.5 hours a day on his social media accounts and about 1.5 hours a day sending/receiving e-mails from his friends. Also, Sammy was trying to start a small business of his own, and he was creating marketing ads for his new company. When Sammy came to work the next morning, he was immediately fired.

a. Sammy said he was unjustly fired because his employer had invaded his privacy. Does Sammy have a valid argument? Why or why not?

b. Why do you think the courts have given companies the right to access employee activity done on their computers?

c. Are you aware that your employer has the right to access e-mails and messages sent/received on your work computer. Have you, like Sammy gotten careless?

2. When Stormy Weathers discovered she was pregnant, she avoided telling Ron Rogue, the owner of the book publisher where she worked as the manager of marketing and sales. Instead, she told his administrative assistant and knew that she would pass along the news. Sure enough, Ron came storming out of his office and yelled at Stormy “I should have known better than to hire a young women. Pregnancy, children, child care issues, snotty noses. Congratulations, Mrs. Weathers, you have effectively ruined my schedule.” Two weeks later Ron called Stormy into his office and fired her. He said the new business model no longer required her area of expertise.

a. Can an employer fire a woman for being pregnant? What legal protection does pregnant women have to keep unjustified firings from happening.

3. Casey stopped making payments on his computer because of financial problems. A debt collector called Casey at work every day, even though Casey’s employer objected to the calls and told the debt collector to stop calling his place of business.

a. If the debt collector continues to call, will he be violating any laws? Is so, identify the law and describe its purpose.

b. List 2 additional behaviors prohibited by the Federal Debt Collections Practices Act.