10 Workplace Rights You Think You Have... but Don't

[JamesG]

10 Workplace Rights You Think You Have -- But Don't
By Donna Ballman
Posted May 3rd 2011


1. "I was wrongfully terminated."

Maybe if you lived in Montana you'd have a point. Montana is the only state in the nation with a law saying you can only be fired for just cause.

Otherwise, you live in an at-will state. That means you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. They don't have to have a good reason. They don't even have to give a reason in most states.

Boss in a bad mood? He or she can fire you. HR didn't like the shoes you wore that day? Buh-bye.









2. "I know I have the right to see my file."

Probably not, so don't go stomping into HR and making demands. No federal law requires private employers to allow employees to inspect or copy their own personnel files.

Only some states require employers to allow you to look at your file and even fewer require your employer to allow you to copy items in your file.

Many times, the only way you'll find out what's in your file is if you sue and you get it with a Request for Production, or if you subpoena it in unemployment or other proceedings.









3. "I demand my break right now."

Yeah, only problem with this is that no federal law requires employers to offer any work breaks for anything, even meals. Some state laws do require work breaks, but it's not a majority.

No federal law even requires bathroom breaks, but it's probably a health issue, so OSHA might protect you if your employer denies bathroom breaks.

If you're a nursing mother, you're entitled to an unpaid break to express breast milk if your employer is big enough. Some states also offer protection for nursing moms taking breaks.

Lots of people get fired for insisting on breaks they're not entitled to. Don't do it.









4. "I'm working in a hostile environment."

It's pretty much your boss's job to create a hostile work environment. A hostile environment is not illegal. Workplace harassment is not illegal. Bullying is not illegal in any state.

Only hostile environment or harassment due to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, color, taking Family and Medical Leave, whistle blowing, or some other legally-protected status is illegal.









5. "I exercised my First Amendment rights."

If you work for a private employer, you really shouldn't have done that. Only government employees have free speech protections, and those are very limited.

Otherwise, you can be fired in most states for your speech (including political speech) in the workplace or outside the workplace.

You can't be fired for speaking on behalf of coworkers in order to improve work conditions or for objecting to something illegal, but be very careful to make sure you're protected before you speak out.









6. "My boss invaded my privacy."

Your boss can read your work e-mails and monitor your Internet usage at work. If your employer is going to listen into or record phone calls, there are some legal restrictions.

You also have privacy rights in your medical information.

There is no federal law protecting your social security number, but California and New York do offer limited protection against employers displaying your number.









7. "But this is a right to work state."

Hopefully you didn't say that right before you signed a non-compete agreement. Right to work doesn't mean your employer can't restrict your ability to work for competitors after you leave. What it means is they can't make you join a union in order to work there.

Some states, but not all, are right to work states. If your supervisor tells you that signing a non-compete agreement is meaningless or that it won't be enforced, they are lying to you.









8. "I was retaliated against after I complained."

Oh no. Tell me you didn't write a long letter complaining about your boss being unprofessional or incompetent. There is no law prohibiting an employer from retaliating against you for reporting or objecting to policy violations, ethical violations, bullying, or the fact that your boss is a jerk.

If you do something that puts you in a legally protected category, you may be protected from retaliation.

Examples would be objecting to discrimination, making a worker's comp claim, or taking Family and Medical Leave.









9. "I was discriminated against because my boss didn't like me."

If your boss is discriminating against you for being you, that isn't illegal. Favoritism, nepotism, and being obnoxious are not illegal.

Discrimination based on age, pregnancy, race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, color and genetic information are illegal.

In some states, other categories such as sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and being a domestic violence victim are protected.









10. "I not only want to sue my company -- I want to sue my boss."

As much as it may be satisfying to sue your ex-boss personally, you probably can't. Federal and many state discrimination laws, Family and Medical Leave Act (in some states the courts disagree on this), and most other employment laws simply don't allow it.

One major exception is wage and hour violations. Some state discrimination laws do hold supervisors liable for violations. But what's the point? Unless they're rich, you probably won't be able to collect anyhow.

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/05...1_lnk3%7C60763

[Goldilocks]

The main reason alot of the harrassment/bullying stuff doesn't really don't hold up is because co-workers aren't willing to stand up and speak up to anything they've witnessed. Cowards that they are. *rolls eyes*

But, good news is: What goes around comes around anyway, so if an employer bullies, retaliates, harasses, etc. or is even just a regular ol' jerk,he/she will reap the consequences. It's called Karma. Trust me. I've seen this time and time again.

[Schmoopie]

I found # 7 interesting because we just got a union (which I hate) in our office about a year ago. Everyone has to pay dues whether or not we support it. So basically my office is saying to new employees that they'l have to pay union dues if they want to work there.