All About Employment Law

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Employment is something that most people must be involved with in their lifetime, meaning that various laws about pay, safety, and discrimination must be put in place. Management consultancies such as Paydata are extremely familiar with these laws, as they work to help and reward HR professionals who ensure that employment law is being closely followed. In the US, the federal laws governing workplace activities are overseen and enforced by the United States Department of Labor. These laws apply to as many as 10 million employers and 150 million workers.

There are hundreds of laws associated with employment in order to regulate paid time off, employee benefits, harassment, discrimination, salary, wages, hiring, privacy, employee testing, and other employee rights problems. Some of these key laws are detailed below.

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

First on our list of employment laws is the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, otherwise known as COBRA. This enables employees to continue with their health insurance coverage even upon parting with their job.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act is another law that prevents employees from being discriminated against. This particular law makes it illegal for employers to discriminate existing or prospective employees based on disability.

Civil Rights Act

Speaking of discrimination, the gender pay gap is something that has dominated the employment sector, and this is why the Civil Rights Acts had to be introduced. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 stems from the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

This law is to ensure that no one is discriminated against on the basis of pay, regardless of their gender, race, ableness, and other factors.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act

The Occupational Safety and Health Act, otherwise known as OSHA, monitors the health and safety of employment environments in order to assure that serious hazards aren’t presented to employees. The law dictates that employers are required to display posters in the workplace that outline an employee’s right to request an OSHA inspection, how to report issues, and how to receive training on hazardous work environments.

The Family Medical and Family Leave Act

The Family Medical and Family Leave Act, otherwise known as FMLA, states that employers with upwards of 50 employees must provide them with 12-weeks of job-protected leave in various cases. These cases include unforeseen emergencies relating to a family member’s military service, the serious illness of a parent, child, or spouse, and the birth or adoption of a child. Despite this, if the employee themselves falls seriously ill, they’re then entitled to 26 weeks of unpaid leave.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, otherwise known as ERISA, monitors pension plans and everything that’s attached to such. It’s not something that is applicable to every private employer, meaning that these companies aren’t legally obliged to offer pension plans to their employees. Despite this, if an employer is bound by ERISA, they must follow the standards and plans that are set out by the law.

Fair Labor Standards Act

The Fair Labor Standards Act, otherwise known as FLSA, establishes the federal minimum wage and overtime pay. On top of this, it’s responsible for regulating child labor laws, which reduces the amount of time that a minor can work for. The cost of minimum wage is dependent on the state, as is the laws surrounding overtime and child labor.

Therefore, we can infer that FLSA ensures that no one is getting exploited in the workplace. Exploitation comes in the form of being underpaid and overworked.

Which employment laws are you most intrigued by?