What Are Your Rights As An Employee?

Knowing what sort of treatment you should be able to expect from your employer enables you to challenge them if you feel they have acted unjustly. Every employee has basic work rights and these should be upheld by their employer and their colleagues. The exact rules vary from one state to the next, but some rights are accepted pretty much throughout the United States.

We saw previously how a Twitter employee allegedly suffered age discrimination at the hands of the company. Wrongful discrimination, of course, is one thing that employees all have the right to not have to face, whether it is based on age, race, gender or another protected factor. However, there are a number of other basic rights to which employees are entitled. Some of these are detailed on FindLaw, including the following:

• The right to work in an environment without safety hazards, such as toxic substances, or other dangers.
• The right to privacy, which can apply to personal possessions, private mail and sometimes telephone conversations as well.
• The right to wages that are fair. If an employee has performed work, they are entitled to fair payment for that work.
• The right not to be retaliated against. For example, if an employee reports a safety or legal violation, an employer is generally not permitted to fire them for making the report.

These are only a few examples, but it is helpful to know the extent of your rights. An attorney can explain them to you in more detail and may be able to assist you if you suspect your rights may have been breached in any way.