Name: _____________________________

Date: ________________

Employment

Read each example, answer the questions, and make an argument to support your answers.

1. Sharp worked as a machinist building models of new products. His firm was working on a
contract for creating a new doorknob. Sharp was hanging out with a friend who worked for one of
his company’s competitors and showed them a design that his firm had developed. Is this grounds
for firing Sharp?

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2. Amy was the night clerk at Holiday Inn. She had several duties besides working at the main desk,
and was not allowed to sleep on the job, even if business was slow. On several occasions, the
manager found her asleep on the job and warned her not to do so again. If she was caught
sleeping again, would the manager be legally justified in firing her?

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3. Hiro is Japanese. When applying to work at a company that washes windows, he is told that the
company does not hire Japanese people because they tend to be shorter than average. Has he been the
subject of discrimination? Is the discrimination justified? If the company employs only ten people in
a state that has no discrimination laws, is the company in violation?
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4. James, a school custodian, was injured when student lockers fell on him while he was cleaning the
hallway. All of the school’s employees are covered by the school’s workers’ compensation insurance.
Has the school violated its duty to provide a safe workplace? Can James recover damages in a suit
against the school?
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