One of the most powerful tools you can have in your utility belt is knowledge. Knowledge about any particular situation gives you a leg up on the common challenges you might face.
In terms of employment, knowing your rights as a worker could mean the difference between financial stability and financial struggle.
Here is a quick look at a few of the most important employee rights every worker should know. Take a peek, and you may find some information you were not yet keen to.
You have rights before you’re ever hired
Before you are ever offered a job with a business, you have rights. You have the right not to face the pressures of discrimination when presenting yourself as an applicant for a job.
Employers are not allowed to count you out for a position simply due to the color of your skin, your sexual orientation, or a few other factors. The downside is that proving the reason for a prospective employer’s disinterest in you is quite a difficult task to complete.
You have rights when you’re injured at work
You have to hold up your end of the bargain when it comes to workplace safety, but you’re not the one who pays the bill if you’re ever legitimately injured on the job. Employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance for such a time as you being hurt.
However, not all employers do things by the book. You may run into a snag while attempting to collect on owed benefits. If you encounter trouble, hire a workers’ compensation lawyer immediately.
You are entitled to breaks and reasonable hours
Working long hours can be difficult, but there are some very specific laws regarding such shifts. By law, your employer has to provide you with a formal break after you work more than four hours. Further regulation of breaking and scheduling boundaries varies from state to state.
FMLA protects you if you need time off for family
The Family Medical Leave Act was put in place to protect workers who have to take time off from their jobs to tend to a family emergency. For instance, your spouse has just passed away.
The trauma and mourning following such an event can make it very difficult to care about the quality of your work. FMLA is there to provide a grieving period without facing the fear of losing your position at work.
Understand privacy rights in the workplace
When you’re in the workplace, your boss doesn’t own your whole existence. Contrary to popular belief, you are due some privacy. Your employer is responsible for providing a safe space for you to store your things while you’re working.
However, your employer does have the right to sift through your electronic comings and goings. Email, telephone calls, and other digital communications can legally be monitored as you work, so keep it light and PG-rated in a professional environment.