Your Guide to Employee Rights

October 31, 2022
4 min read
Share this post

When it comes to work, everyone expects to be treated fairly and enjoy the work they’ve been hired to do. But unfortunately, many Americans are subject to cruel and illegal treatment by their employers.Whether it’s wrongful termination or sexual harassment, or many other types of mistreatment, employees don’t have to “grin and bear it” through such behavior. There are laws that establish and protect employee rights—and you should be aware of them.

In this guide, we’ll explain what you need to know about employee rights and how they can help protect you in times of trouble. Here’s what each chapter covers.

An image of a hand holding a scale.

Top Laws Protecting Employee Rights

Do you know the main laws that protect employee rights? In this chapter, we’ll dive into historic and current legislation that protects employees and independent contractors.

Rights to know

An image of a handicapped man, woman and man standing on different sized platforms.

Types of Discrimination in the Workplace

There are more than a dozen different kinds of employee discrimination. In this chapter, we dive into the main ones.

Common discrimination

An image of a large hand throwing a man out of a room.

Wrongful Termination: Actions You Can Take

Were you fired for job hunting? Experts estimate that at least 150,000 people are wrongfully fired every year. Read this chapter to learn what you can do if it’s happened to you.

Wrongfully fired

An image of a person at a computer thinking about taking a vacation.

Paid Vacation Rights for Employees

Believe it or not, most employees have a right to paid time off. In this chapter, we describe paid vacation rights.

Laws about time off

An image of a doctor pointing to a clipboard, surrounded by drug testing equipment.

Random Employee Drug Testing

Yes, companies are entitled to randomly drug test, but there are limits. In this chapter, we describe the questions you should consider.

Drug testing laws

An image of a person holding a magnifying glass over a laptop.

Employee Privacy

Employees are entitled to privacy on their private devices at work. This chapter discusses things you should know about your privacy rights.

Right to privacy

An image of a woman holding her baby while staring cheerfully at a calendar.

Maternity Leave

There are several U.S. laws relating to maternity leave. Learn your basic maternity leave entitlements in this chapter.

Understand family leave

***********************************************

Perhaps you’ve been laid off.

LegalShield provider lawyer Michael Dupont talks about what you and other employees need to know if this happens in a CNN Business article, “Getting laid off? Know your rights.”

Or maybe you’re offered a voluntary buyout? Lindsay Greene, a partner at DSK Law, who is another LegalShield provider lawyer, discusses the importance of reviewing the terms of the agreement in depth before signing in the CNBC article, “With layoffs looming, you could be offered a voluntary buyout—4 things to know before taking one.”

******************************************

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“PPLSI”) provides access to legal services offered by a network of provider law firms to PPLSI members through membership-based participation. Neither PPLSI nor its officers, employees or sales associates directly or indirectly provide legal services, representation, or advice. The information available in this blog is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide legal advice, render an opinion, or provide any specific recommendations. The blog post is not a substitute for competent legal counsel from a licensed professional lawyer in the state or province where your legal issues exist, and the reader is strongly encouraged to seek legal counsel for your specific legal matter. Information contained in the blog may be provided by authors who could be a third-party paid contributor. All information by authors is accepted in good faith, however, PPLSI makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of such information.

Share this post