Employees often have good working relationships with their employers. But, that doesn’t mean that an employer will have the employee’s best interests at heart if the employee gets hurt at work. Employers should pay for workers’ compensation coverage, so the cost of medical care that an injured employee needs doesn’t come out of the employer’s pocket. Despite coverage being available, however, employers will usually try to minimize the benefits that a hurt or ill employee receives. Employer’s conflict of interest When an employee is injured on the job, the primary concern for many employers is ..read more

Every child in the United States has the right to pursue an education. Even adults can enroll in programs to receive a certificate that equates to a high school diploma or go back to college. Anyone theoretically has the right to pursue an education. However, receiving a quality education can be far more challenging for some students than others. Historically, discrimination has locked certain groups of people out of school or relegated them to lower-performing educational institutions. While there have been major strides in promoting educational equity in recent years, there are still issues ..read more

Whether out of necessity due to staffing problems or out of a desire to keep their overhead as low as possible, a lot of workplaces operate with very minimal staffing. As a result, many employers ask their employees to stay “on call” while they’re on their lunch breaks – or just work right through while eating lunch at their desks. Those “working lunches” might not be a problem if the employees were paid – but they’re usually not, and that’s a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The issue is particularly problematic when it comes to automatic time deductions Long gone are the day ..read more

Wrongful firing or a wrongful layoff occurs when an employee is terminated for illegal reasons, or an employer violates their responsibilities outlined in an employment contract. It is essential to differentiate between lawful and unlawful reasons for terminating an employment relationship because this effort helps to clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties. While employers have the right to dismiss employees for valid reasons, such as sub-standard performance or business-related decisions, certain actions constitute wrongful termination. Types of wrongful termination One of th ..read more

When a company lays off a large number of its employees, that action not only affects the people who have lost their jobs and their families. A mass layoff can affect an entire city and even beyond. New Jersey, which is home to many corporations of all kinds, has certainly seen more than its fair share. For example, in 2017, Toys R Us, which was headquartered in Wayne, laid off about 2,000 employees. That was, in part, the impetus for legislation sponsored by one New Jersey state lawmaker that became effective earlier this year. It expands a law already on the books called the New Jersey WARN ..read more

People often think of bullying as something that happens in middle school or high school. Once they grow up, they assume that bullying will fade away and they won’t have to deal with it anymore. This is often not true at all. The reality is that bullying happens all the time at various workplaces across the country. As one report put it: “An estimated 48.6 million Americans, or about 30% of the workforce, are bullied at work.” This can be very frustrating for employees, and it can create a hostile work environment. This is especially problematic if the bullying is based on someone’s inherent q ..read more

Many legal protections for workers only apply to direct-hire employees. Temporary workers are often excluded, even when they do the same work and for the same hours as those paid directly by the business. Working for a third-party temp service typically means you get paid less and get no benefits like paid time off or health insurance. A new law enacted in New Jersey is meant to give temporary workers a boost. Called the “Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights,” the law is being described by state officials as “a major victory for temporary workers” in the Garden State. Among the changes contained ..read more

Everyone has the right to feel comfortable at work and do what they are good at and enjoy doing without fear. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Employers discriminate against employees for several reasons: their race, skin color, level of education, where they were born, and whether they were born into a very wealthy family or a family who struggled to keep the lights on. Working from home is a new work setup that became the norm only after the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately, it has become a reason certain employers discriminate against employees. Whether it is because the employe ..read more

Employers can terminate people for a nearly infinite number of reasons. Company policy and unique industry concerns could create unusual scenarios that only apply to one specific profession or type of business. There are also many generic reasons to lose a job. People lose their jobs for a slump in their performance, for inappropriate conduct and for violations of company policy. Any of those reasons would be legal and appropriate explanations for why a company would choose to terminate someone’s employment arrangements. However, there are some reasons for terminating a worker’s employment tha ..read more

When your employer offered you a salaried role, you were excited to take it. You’d have a consistent income and no longer have to worry about tracking each individual hour on the job. For weeks where you’d be in the office less than 40 hours, a salaried pay would be a step in the right direction for financial security. What you might not have expected was to be asked to work well beyond 40 hours. After all, many people do agree that salaried workers should work between 35 and 40 hours when working full time. That being said, is it still allowed for your employer to ask you to work more without ..read more