a month later

[skyy]

A month ago this lady and i at work were joking around with this person from work. I guess we said something that offended him. A month later the human resource lady told us we need to apolgize or else. Im perfectly fine with apologizing and i'm sorry I offended someone, but it was so long ago when she brought it to our attention we didnt know what the heck she was talking. How much time can they let go by before they address an issue like that? If I were that guy, I would be mad that they let so much time go by before they did something. So, is there a law or time limit when they are suppose address a issue like this one? Or can they punish you whenever they want?

[manny_mandy]

The law provides for standards in reference to this issue. At most, general precepts of the law dictate that due process (substantive or procedural) must be observed in all situations.
There is no specific time frame. At most, it must be taken at the soonest.

Can they punish you whenever they want?
Certainly, they cannot arbitrarily punish an employee at their pleasure with no basis and due process. Otherwise, they will be violating pertinent employment laws.