6.4: Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Considerations

In addition to knowing how a certain occupation could be affected by workplace trends, career decision-makers also need to know how an occupation could be affected by laws, policies and standards related to that occupation and career field. Laws about occupations are generated by state and federal governments, and policies and standards could come from the government, the industry or individual employers and organizations. To have all the information needed for an effective career decision, you need to investigate and consider the laws, policies and standards that govern the occupations and career fields in which you may be interested.

In the United States, laws about occupations and career fields are made by legislative bodies such as Congress and state legislatures. Then those laws are translated into regulations by federal and state departments. The United States Department of Labor exists to serve workers and organizations, and perhaps most of the regulations to which employees are subject are generated by this department. Other federal departments including Commerce, Education and Agriculture, among others, also issue regulations affecting employment. An example of a law affecting most employers in the United States is the Affordable Care Act of 2010 which regulates health insurance procedures for all employers with 15 or more employees.

Industries and professionals within career fields may collaborate to generate and impose policies and standards upon themselves for the betterment of their own industries and fields. Those policies and standards may include codes of ethics and professional standards including licensing, certification and safety procedures. Professional policies and standards are designed to serve employees in the industry or career field and the general public using the goods and services produced by those industries. Policies and standards also may be designed to help the industry or career field make positive impacts on communities or to uphold certain philosophies or beliefs. An example of a policy in a specific career field is the requirement for attorneys to pass a bar exam to be licensed to practice law in certain states. The purpose of knowing about laws, policies and standards that affect careers you’re considering is to be able to evaluate your career priorities against those laws, policies and standards. If your career priorities mesh or align with those laws, policies and standards, those potential occupations will be rewarding and fulfilling to you. If your career priorities do not align with laws and policies you would need to follow or standards you would need to uphold, however, those potential occupations may not be viable options for you due to the personal conflict that might occur if you are working against your career priorities.

Activity 6.2

Industry Standards - Codes of Ethics

Reflect on your career priorities and select a potential career that meets your priorities. Conduct online research about the standards of that industry, specifically whether that industry has a code of ethics. You can search for an industry-wide professional organization then search that organization’s website for a code of ethics or professional standards document. For example, if you are considering the career of counseling, you would search for “national counseling association” and find several national organizations including the American Counseling Association. The American Counseling Association has a code of ethics last published/updated in 2014. Please read the code of ethics or professional standards document you find for your selected career.

Which of your career values do you see reflected in that code of ethics or professional standards document?

How does your career’s code of ethics or professional standards document explain the quality standards you will be expected to uphold in that career?

Individual organizations and businesses also implement policies and standards. These policies and standards may be about the organization’s structure, operating procedures and philosophies or beliefs as well as providing the mechanism for organizations to follow state and federal laws and meet industry standards. As a new hire, most employees go through an orientation at which an organization’s policies and standards are introduced, and then employees are responsible for following those standards and upholding those policies as part of their everyday work tasks. An interesting example of an individual organization’s policy is the supposed rule at Disney parks where employees are asked to use two fingers to direct guests as opposed to pointing with only one finger because of a traditional American belief that pointing can be rude.

As a student at HACC, you are subject to policies developed by the college that govern how HACC operates and upholds relevant state and federal laws. HACC calls these policies “Shared Governance Policies” (SGPs). You can find all the SGPs relevant to your student situation on MyHACC under the box entitled “Student Success Resources” and the “YOUR Shared Governance Policies” link. An example is HACC’s implementation of a federal privacy law for students. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), a student’s college records are protected similarly to their health care records under HIPAA. HACC must keep your student records confidential in most cases. There are exceptions including if the college has to respond to a subpoena or court order, or if an accrediting body, such as the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, requests records of students in the Radiologic Technology (X-Ray) program. If, as a student, you wish for someone such as a parent or employer to have access to your records, you can sign a “Consent to Release Information” form at any campus Welcome Center.