In the United States, there are many laws that protect employees. Labor law violations are considered a serious matter and are punishable by law. Employees must know what their rights are and how to assert them in the workplace. This helps them know when their employees are making labor law violations and what steps they should take to defend themselves.
Here are just a few of the important rights that employees must be aware of:
• The right be protected from any form of discrimination – the term “discrimination” is a very broad term and encompasses a wide aspect of our lives. No person should be discriminated at work because of his/her sex, gender, sexual preference, pregnancy, beliefs, age, disability, etc.
• The right to a harassment-free workplace – everyone deserves to work in a place where one would feel safe from any form of harassment
• The right to fair pay – there are a lot of laws that protect your right to be paid no less than the minimum wage, to be paid a premium for working overtime or over the usual maximum amount of hours per week.
• The right to organize and be part of a union
• The right to take leaves to take care of your family or your self
• The right to privacy
How can I assert my legal rights?
If you feel that there has been some labor law violations in the workplace, there are a few things you can try to assert yourself. Here are a few things you might want to do to remedy the situation:
• Talk to your boss – a lot of offices has a structured chain of command. Employers would recommend that you follow this when making a complaint. It’s usually good practice to try that first, although nothing should keep you from seeking help from higher management when your direct superior proves to be unhelpful or biased. Sometimes issues in the workplace are just an oversight and are easily remedied when brought to the attention of the people who can properly initiate change.
• Be familiar with your rights – the more familiar you are with your rights, the more confident you will become about defending and asserting them.
• Stick to facts – when presenting your case before your employer, remember the pertinent details surrounding your complaint. Put your ideas in writing instead of just talking based on a free flowing line of thinking. It might also be useful if you talked with an objective party and show him/her the details of your complaint to validate if you do have a valid point to defend.
• Avoid being too emotional – it has a given that work-related stress can cause you to be emotional. Many people do or say things that they regret afterwards because they were done or said out of anger or in a fit of an emotional outburst.
• Decide on what you will do next – have a few recommendations ready for your employer when you talk to him/her about the situation.
• Follow up with your employer – after talking with your employer, do not expect the situation to be resolved without further involvement. Sometimes all it takes is some follow-up to know that something is being done about it. It also shows your employer that you want to be taken seriously.
• Document everything – everything related to the issue, that is. Save all correspondences made between you, the offending party, and the superiors whom you reported it to.
If you have done everything you could do within your power, it is best to consult an attorney that specializes in labor law violations and explore your options. Remember that you deserve to have your rights upheld and defended in the workplace, do not settle for anything less than that.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Alva Pao-Pei Alfonso
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