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Restoring Dignity & Control After An Injury 

Employees Have Rights Too

On Behalf of | May 25, 2010 | Uncategorized |

Both employers and employees have fair and equal rights in the workplace. As an employee, you should educate yourself on the rights you are entitled to that your employer should uphold. A lot of issues can arise in the workplace such as discrimination, harassment, safety, taxes, wages, and wrongful termination. Employment laws have been established to fairly represent an employee when these rights have been violated. An employee should also treat their employer fairly and not take advantage of their rights or the employer/employee relationship.

Employees and applicants both have the right to fair treatment in the workplace. An employee must also follow the rules and office procedures placed by their employer. For example, some employers do not allow their staff to check personal e-mail or update personal social networking profiles, such as Facebook or Twitter, while on company time or on a work computer. There is a basic right to privacy, and employers cannot go through someone’s purse, locker, briefcase, and telephone messages or conversations. Rights are limited with e-mail communication and computer usage however, because most companies operate on an Intranet database.

All people in the workplace, including employers, employees and applicants, have the right to be free from discrimination and harassment. Discrimination can occur against one’s race, age, or religion. An applicant should be hesitant of a future employer if they are asked to specify any of these on an application. An employer does have the right to perform a background check only if they notify the applicant that they are doing so. If an employee experiences any type of harassment while at work, they should notify their supervisor or boss immediately and report the harassment. If the employer does not respond to the notification, you may need to seek legal action.

Another right in the workplace is the right to safety. If you are injured or become ill while on the job, you are allowed to file for a personal injury claim that may result in worker’s compensation. Laws have been set in place for worker’s compensation if an employee is unable to work and needs compensation if injured at work. If you find yourself in a situation where your right to safety has been violated, you can contact a personal injury lawyer to help you file your claim. If you live in a different state, you should contact a lawyer that resides in your state because the law varies from state to state.

All employees should be compensated for the work they perform while at a job. Employees’ rights are protected because of federal minimum wage laws. If you are not being paid at least the minimum wage, then your rights are not being met. Also, jobs performed should be compensated unless you are volunteering and are informed ahead of time your job is unpaid. For example, a lot of internships are unpaid. Wages must be paid fairly and on time. You may need to hire a Chicago workers compensation attorney to help file your claim. If you live in a different state, you should contact a lawyer that resides in your state because the law varies from state to state.

An employee’s rights should be upheld and respected by their employer. Likewise, an employee should follow all rules set in place by their employer. If you know your rights then you will likely be able to avoid any unlawful situations while at work. If you feel that your rights have been violated then you can contact your supervisor or boss, and if you need legal advice you should not hesitate to contact a lawyer.

About the Author: Mitchell Peskin, Chicago workers compensation attorney and managing partner at Millon & Peskin, practices in the areas of Civil Litigation, Workers’ Compensation, and Personal Injury. Millon & Peskin is a General Civil Litigation Practice with the goal of representing the interests of injured workers, throughout all applicable Courts within the State of Illinois. For more information, please visit http://www.millonpeskin.com.

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