A few months into the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of people lost their jobs. Some had to work from home taking home only a portion of what they usually make. This was understandable because the entire globe was dealing with a similar challenge as an impact of the measure put in place to put the spread of the virus in check.
However, people lose their jobs every day in the normal world. Some employees are discriminated against by their colleagues and seniors based on race, color, gender, background, or even fitness levels. Bullying is also not unheard of in the standard workplace. Still, some people work under extremely harsh and hazardous conditions with zero concern about their safety from the employer. While you need the money to put groceries on the table, you are not a slave or a robot. You are also human and your rights should be respected. To get an extra pinch on this, the following pointers should paint the picture of why employees should know their rights.
1. Workplace Safety and Health
At the federal level, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is the entity tasked with the responsibility to regulate workplace safety in the United States. The organization works tirelessly to ensure workers have safe working conditions. OSHA ensures manufacturing facilities are inspected and won’t hesitate to levy large fines to any employer subjecting their workers to unsafe working conditions.
This goes a long way in preventing workplace injuries and work-related health issues. When injured in a workplace accident, the folks at joyelawfirm.com/north-charleston/workers-compensation-attorney/ say that worker’s comp should cover your medical expenses and a significant portion of your lost wages. With the guidance of an experienced attorney and perhaps some help from OSHA, dodgy employees can be brought to book as you recover your deserved financial damages. In a nutshell, below are a few examples of unsafe work conditions:
- Exposing workers to hazardous or infectious material without proper safety gear
- Lack of safeguard on dangerous machinery
- Exposure to toxic or corrosive chemicals without protective clothing
- Slippery floors and oil spills out of negligence
- And much more
2. Employment Laws against Discrimination
Every worker needs to know and understand his/her rights to stay safe from any form of work-related discrimination. According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, every worker is protected from any form of workplace discrimination whether based on color, creed, nation of origin, gender, age, or religion. Some states have also provided workers with protection against workplace discrimination based on their sexual orientation, disability, marital status, and pregnancy-even though the federal law is yet to adopt these protection rights. Moreover, employers are not supposed to deny you a job opportunity or promotion based on any protected classifications mentioned whether under federal or state law.
Workplace discrimination laws are applicable in a wide range of areas, including:
- Hiring
- Firing and layoffs
- Job promotion
- Task allocation
- Training and career development
It can sometimes be quite difficult to pinpoint unless the victim comes forward. It can sometimes even manifest in the form of sexual harassment where senior members of staff take advantage of fresh-out-of-college staff or ask for sexual advances from a staff member from an “inferior race or gender” in return for favors at the workplace. Nonetheless, it is easier to seek help if you know and understand your employment rights like the palm of your hand.
3. Workers Deserve To Be Paid A Fair Wage
Workers have the right to be paid a fair wage for the work they perform. However, some employers will always try to cut corners when it comes to rewarding their workers for the work done. That’s why every employee needs to know and understand the amount of payment they deserve after working for a given number of hours. In the US, the federal government and states have an established law that dictates the minimum wage for different categories of workers.
Alongside a ton of scientific research out there, multiple arguments have also been raised regarding why employees should take home more than the minimum wage. This is because, in most cases, the minimum wage is set based on assumptions that anyone can survive comfortably when earning such a wage weekly or monthly.
Also, the law tends to have a few loopholes regarding compensation. An employer may choose to pay their workers in commissions as is usually witnessed in many sales and marketing departments. This commission may or may not be in addition to a salary, usually called a retainer. Sometimes you may lose even the retainer salary in case you fail to achieve certain targets. Before taking such a job, the employee needs to carefully scrutinize the contract and ascertain whether they can cope without a guaranteed minimum wage.
4. Workers must be Paid for Overtime Hours
The federal law requires every employer to pay their workers for the extended time working. Every worker is eligible for bonus pay, usually, a 50% increase for every hour worked over forty hours in a week. States such as California mandate overtime pay if a worker works for more than 8 hours in one workday. Note – extra overtime compensation is always not optional but mandatory. Therefore, any employer who denies workers overtime pay risks being at loggerheads with the state or federal employment laws. Additionally, an employer is not supposed to release a worker from employment while sorting out their increased wages.
5. Right to Family Leave
According to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, workers are provided with job security and time off when there is a need to take care of, say, a seriously ill family member, newborn, or an adopted baby. Factually, the employer is not only mandated to provide workers with up to 12 weeks off but also with guaranteed job protection. Even if the time off is unpaid, as a worker you won’t lose your position at work.
In conclusion, understanding your rights as an employee can have numerous benefits. It can give you the peace of mind to stay productive and prosper in your career. The chances of hating your job are also greatly minimized. The next time you drop a successful job application at company A or B, make sure they are compliant with employment laws and regulations before signing the contract.