There was a time when employees were at the mercy of employers when it came to issues like safety in the workplace and fair wages. Now employee rights law covers such issues and much more.
The legal disputes businesses have to deal with today are often related to employee rights and regulations. Employees are more aware of their rights and employers who ignore them can face serious consequences.
Both Federal and state laws address employee rights and various regulatory bodies administer and oversee these laws. Employee handbooks and labor law posters help to keep employees informed about their rights. Resourceful Compliance offers Federal and State Labor Law Posters., helping employers stay up-to-date with mandatory posting requirements. Here are some employee rights employers can’t afford to ignore.
- The right to a safe workplace
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 helps to minimize dangers in the workplace. The act created various safety provisions, including specific guidelines for industries like construction.
Any workplace practice that represents a clear risk to workers is prohibited by the act. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is primarily responsible for enforcing the law but state agencies also implement certain aspects.
Employers must ensure that workers are fully aware of the hazards presented by people, processes, materials, equipment and the work environment. They must know about any hazardous substances they may be exposed to and receive the necessary training to ensure their safety.
- The right to fair wages for work performed
Employers have a right to be paid for all the hours they work. Nearly 50 years ago, U.S. Congress passed a law that requires employers to pay workers a minimum wage for hours worked, and overtime when they work more than 40 hours per week.
The Fair Labor Standards Act regulates the duration of work days, breaks the employer must provide as well as salary and overtime requirements.
Work refers to any duties or tasks an employer asks a worker to complete, whether this is at the workplace or not. The worker also has the right to be paid for taking work home, arriving early or staying late. If an employer requires an employee to be on-call, workers should be paid for this time. In respect of overtime, employers must pay 1.5 times the hourly rate for each hour worked over 40 hours a week.
- The right to a workplace free of discrimination
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against hiring employees based on color, race, sex, national origin or religion. This law applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
A number of other federal statutes, most of which were passed after 1964, attempt to ‘level the playing field’ in the workplace. For example, employers are also prohibited from discriminating against employees based on disability or age.
Employees have a right to be free from discrimination and harassment of all kinds in the workplace. The law may prohibit such discrimination but data reveals that it is still a big problem today.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an agency that was created to investigate complaints of job discrimination and every year, the EEOC and its state and local agencies close over 100,000 cases but it doesn’t have as many resources as it needs.
Employees today are fortunate enough to have many legal protections in the workplace established under both federal and state law. They help to make the workplace a much fairer and safer place for employees. Employers who violate these laws open themselves up to legal disputes that can cost a great deal of time and money.