The external environment has a major impact on HRM practices. Organizations are not completely free to hire, promote, or fire whomever they want. The HRM department usually has the responsibility of seeing that the organization complies with the law. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) minority guidelines identify minorities protected under the CRA; the act also protects disadvantaged young people, disabled workers, and persons older than 40 years of age.

Although the law protects women from discrimination in employment, they are not considered to be a statistical minority because they make up half of the population; in some work situations, women are a majority. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing equal opportunity laws. Ignorance of employment law is no excuse for breaking the law, so it is important to know the legal requirements. All of the states and some cities have additional laws that must be followed, such as the minimum wage laws. You can’t pay less than the federal minimum, but the state and even some cities will require a higher minimum wage.

There are far too many differences to discuss, but as an HRM professional, you will need to know these laws, in addition to federal law. On a job application or during an interview, no member of an organization can ask illegal discriminatory questions.