As an employee, you need to understand your rights. Such knowledge not only helps you avoid trouble at work but it also protects you by letting you know when your rights are violated. In case of violation, it’s always advisable to get a good legal representation such as that provided by the employee rights attorney group. Some of the rights you should know about include:
Right to a safe working environment
This law compels your employer to provide you with protective gear in case you’re working with chemicals and also to put in adequate safeguards on every machinery the employees are working with. It further protects anyone who reports a violation of the safety measures and anyone who asks the auditing of the company.
Discrimination
Employees should not be discriminated against because of their race, gender, origin, beliefs or age. In some areas, this law also covers pregnancy, marital status, sexuality, and disability. It protects employees as well as job applicants from being denied a job or promotion based on any of the above-named factors. You can only exercise this right if the business or company has at least 15 employees.
Leave
This allows all employees to take time off to either take care of a new baby or a family member who is seriously sick. As an employee, you can take up to 12 weeks off to tend to your family members. The law also applies to adopted babies. Although the employer cannot prevent from taking the time off, they are not obligated to pay during that time. However, they cannot replace you or fire you while you’re away.
Overtime pay
Every time you work overtime, you have a right to be paid a 50% increment bonus for every hour that exceeds 40 hours per week. In some states, the bonus should be paid when an 8-hour time limit is exceeded every day. This payment must be paid and there’s no way you can stop the employer from doing so.
Salaries
This law gives you a right to be paid the stipulated minimum wage by your employer. The minimum wage is usually specified by the state and it is applied every hour. This means that if you work full time then the minimum wage is multiplied by 8 hours daily or 40 hours weekly. If you work part-time then it will be multiplied by the number of hours you work.
Conclusion
You can ask the human resource department at your office or Department of Labour to clarify the laws. If you think that these employee rights are being broken if your workplace against you or any of your colleagues, you can contact the employee rights attorney group or any other law firm.