There are many sections of the law, and one of them focus exclusively on the relationship between employees and employers. The part of law that focuses on the relationship between employers and employees is known as Employment Law. The focus, among others, is on the hiring and paying of employees by employers as well as other issues such as discrimination, safety, pension, overtime compensation, and more.
This form of law is necessary to not only protect employees but to also protect employers. It creates a set of guidelines for the working atmosphere to be conducted legally and without harm to either side. It’s challenging to know everything about employment law without a written body to refer to. Having the guidelines in existence gives people a resource to refer to without guesswork. In addition, whenever court cases are necessary, this form of law is there for attorneys to refer to argue their cases before judges.
An employer, for example, must pay a person an appropriate amount under wage laws. In other words, there is a certain minimum wage that needs to be held to under most circumstances. There are people who work full-time as well as part-time. Minimum wage laws apply in both of those circumstances in most situations. There is also overtime pay that employees have a right to. For example, people who work as police offers or firefighters, for example, are due overtime pay when they work past their set working hours.
A company or organization cannot discriminate against a person based on any characteristics, such as a person’s age, sex, race, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. For example, it is against American law for a company to pay a woman less than a man who does the same job based solely on her sex.
An employee in certain situations is entitled to unemployment compensation. In addition, many people are entitled to pensions. It depends on the nature of the job, how long a person has worked, and if they are working full-time or part-time.
An employer must also provide a safe working environment. A person who works for an employer cannot be put in a dangerous position. For example, there are OHSA laws, or Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws, that are intended to keep employees safe in a working environment.
Another thing an employer is expected to provide, in some cases, is health insurance. For example, a person working for a large corporation will likely be provided health insurance that he or she is entitled to receive as part of their employment package whether they choose to use the health insurance or not.
Employment law protects employers by giving them guidelines to follow state and federal laws. Many companies have human resource departments to provide safeguards for employees adequately and under the law. It is always advisable for businesses to have employment law attorneys on hand to advise them on any matters that may come up regarding employment law to protect them and the employees who work for them.
