Founder
Over the past few decades, the workplace standard has shifted in favor of employees. Rather than engage in toxic behaviors, there are laws in place to protect workers and ensure businesses provide fair compensation and a safe workplace for all staff. However, like any law, these are often broken. Understanding the most common employment law violations can help ensure you know how to proceed. If you believe you’re the victim of any of the following examples, you’ll want to contact a Providence County, Rhode Island employment lawyer to explore your legal options.
Understanding What Employment Law Violations Look Like
Familiarizing yourself with your rights as an employee is a great way to stay alert to any violations.
One of the most common infractions is that employers will misclassify workers in order to prevent them from receiving the benefits they are entitled to, like fair compensation, benefits, and overtime pay. As hiring employees can cost businesses, they often try to cheat the system by classifying employees as independent contractors. This is a form of wage theft, as you are entitled to the benefits employees receive.
Another common violation is when employers retaliate against whistleblowers. If you have reported your company for illegal activity, your employer cannot punish you for doing so. This includes firing, demoting, harassing, or ostracizing you.
Unfortunately, wage violations are something that many employees experience, as employers will often withhold overtime pay, give employees less than minimum wage, or make illegal deductions from paychecks. Understanding how your company handles these issues and ensuring the wages you receive are in accordance with these standards is crucial. If you notice discrepancies, you may be experiencing wage theft.
Finally, discrimination in the workplace is all too common for many employees. If you’re being excluded or face unequal treatment due to your race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability, you do not have to suffer in silence. This is illegal, and your employer should have steps to remedy any prejudice you face from other employees. If you are discriminated against, your employer should take action to help.
What Should I Do if I Experience a Law Violation While Working?
If you believe you are the victim of a workplace law violation, knowing how to proceed is crucial. The first thing you must do is contact an employment lawyer to help guide you through the process. They will likely advise you to collect any information relating to the violation. This evidence includes contracts, emails, text messages, pay stubs, and employee handbooks. This information can be used as evidence to help strengthen your case.
You deserve justice when you’re the victim of workplace violations. No matter what rights your employer has violated, we can help. At the Herman Law Group, our dedicated legal team will do everything in our power to help you receive justice for the wrongs you’ve experienced. Contact us today to discuss the details of your case.
