Joining the workforce for the first time should be a thrilling experience, filled with excitement and hope for the future.
The ideal scenario is to earn an honest living doing something you love, right? It is implied by living the American dream in a society that is free and fair. The picket fences, the dog, the kids, and the tree swing included.
Except that is not true for everyone.
When starting your first job, there are a few laws that you should know about. This article will expand on five of those laws below:
- Minimum Wage
The Fair Labor Standards Act guarantees non-exempt employees a federal minimum wage.
Many states have their own minimum wage laws too, in cases where employees are subject to both state and federal laws, they are entitled to the higher of the two wages.
This policy was signed into law in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The national minimum wage is set at $7.25 per hour, but San Francisco holds the highest minimum wage in all the US; a whopping $17 per hour, over double the national minimum.
- Unpaid Medical Leave
When illness strikes a family, it can have devastating consequences.
Under medical leave laws, certain employees get 12 weeks of unpaid leave from work. During this leave period (regardless of whether it gets used consecutively or intermittently), your employer must maintain your benefits and reinstate you to your position or one of equal value when you return.
To be eligible for this protected unpaid leave, you must have worked at your job for at least one year, and your employer must have 50 employees within a 75-mile radius of your workplace.
- Discrimination-Free Workplace
Federal laws prohibit discrimination based on a person’s national origin, color, race, or religion (among others).
There is nothing worse than being made to feel like you do not belong somewhere purely based on discrimination or preconceived notions. Everyone deserves to feel appreciated and valued for their diversity and not persecuted.
If you feel like you are being unfairly discriminated against, consult a reputable company such as hkm.com for advice on how to deal with the situation.
- Equal Pay
This one may come as a surprise to some of you, but it exists!
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 makes it illegal for companies to pay men and women different wages if they perform equal work in the same workplace. This law does not only apply to salaries, but it also applies to bonuses, stock options, and paid leave.
The same law prevents companies from being able to retaliate against employees if they complain about discrimination – even if they file charges against said company.
- Pre-Employment
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (or EPPA) prevents most private employers from requesting or suggesting that any job applicant should take a pre-employment polygraph test to qualify them to be employed.
This law permits specific industries to administer these tests to applicants, for example – security services and pharmaceutical dispensers.
Current employees may be required to take a polygraph test – but with specific requirements. For example, if an employee is involved in a serious workplace incident like embezzlement.
As a side note, the person administering the test must be a licensed professional with liability coverage.
To End
Now that you have more insight into the working world and the laws that pertain to it, you can walk into the first day of your new job with added confidence.
