Being employed is an important part of life from the moment we leave education to the moment we reach retirement age. As such an important part of life, and one that we are constantly working to improve, it’s incredibly important that we know our rights in the workplace. In this article, you’ll be introduced to some of the most basic rights that workers have in the US and how you can invoke them if you feel you’ve been unfairly treated in the workplace.
Discrimination
One of the biggest advances in recent decades has been the advancements of workers’ rights when it comes to discrimination. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for individuals to face open and hostile discrimination in the workplace. This type of discrimination prevented workers from being promoted, would amount to bullying in many cases, and led to many good workers being forced to leave their jobs.
Now, in the modern era, you’re within your rights to highlight when you feel you’ve been discriminated against. You can take these cases to a tribunal — or even to the courts — where your employer may be hard pressed to show that they’ve not discriminated against you. Remember that if you’re a member of a union, then that union will be able to help you put together your court case.
Payouts
In these cases, you’ll find that you’re able to win yourself a payout of damages that is equal to or above the loss of earnings that you’ve experienced as a discriminated worker. Remember that professional legal help that can fight for you when facing a lawsuit is available throughout the country, and there are many law firms that deal exclusively with employment law. These firms will help you understand how to build your case against your employer.
Meanwhile, if you are considering taking your employer to court for any reason, you may find it’s worthwhile to talk with your higher managers first in order to inform them of your intended course of action. In doing so, you may encourage them to give you an out-of-court settlement instead of a settlement in court.
Health and Safety
As you spend the majority of your life in the office or at your place of work, it’s absolutely fundamental that your place of work is safe and healthy to be in. If it’s not, then your employer is failing in one of their most basic duties of care for you and your colleagues. It’s illegal for companies to neglect to keep you safe and healthy with regards to your workplace and this is something you can challenge your company on.
Meanwhile, if you do find yourself injured at work, you’ll be able to sue your company for neglecting their health and safety duties. It’s in these cases that you will find your company has very little recourse to argue their case. And, again, you may receive an out-of-court settlement before taking your injury case to court.
Know your rights at work in order to protect yourself from harms when you’re contributing your labor to a company.