Final answer:
Workplace laws encompass a variety of protections for employees, addressing minimum wage, workplace safety, discrimination, and employee benefits. They regulate aspects such as hiring, firing, pay, and training, seeking to create a fair and safe working environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Laws governing harassment, labor, and employment are numerous and primarily focused on creating a balance of power in the workplace and protecting workers' rights. These laws dictate the actions related to hiring practices, workplace conduct, work hours, and compensation, among other employment aspects. By setting minimum wage standards, prohibiting child labor, and enforcing health and safety regulations, these laws aim to prevent discrimination and provide a safe working environment.
Workplace harassment laws cover a range of behaviors beyond sexual harassment, including discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, or age. Significant legislations, such as those enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), outline employers' responsibilities to foster a non-discriminatory workplace.
Historically, several prominent U.S. laws have been established to protect workers, such as mandating minimum hourly wages, regulating maximum work hours before overtime becomes necessary, requiring family leave, covering employees with unemployment insurance, and even setting limits on the number of immigrant workers.