10 Things Every Teen And Young Adult Should Know About Workplace Rights

If you're in high school or college, odds are you're looking for or starting a summer job or internship. Maybe you're even working during the school year. Of course, your school gave you detailed preparation on what your legal rights are when you work. Right? Ha. Not a chance. Schools do roughly zip to prepare teens for the real world workplace. You have to figure this stuff out on your own.

If you're new to the workplace or getting ready to apply for an internship, this is the article for you.
If you are the parent, relative, guardian or friend of a teen or young adult who is about to enter the workforce, do them a favor and print, tweet, email (do teens email?), text, Instagram or Pinterest this to them. (You can probably forget about Facebooking it to them since they all fled when their parents got on Facebook.)

Here's what your high school or college probably didn't teach you about workplace rights:

1. Sexual harassment: In most states, and certainly here in Florida, sexual harassment of interns is not illegal. Yes, that is horrifying, but true. However, if you are an employee, sexual harassment is illegal as long as you work for a company with at least 15 employees (in Florida it's five in Broward, Dade or in Tampa). If you are put in an uncomfortable situation at work with inappropriate comments, jokes, or even sexual advances, you need to report it right away to HR, preferably in writing. For more on sexual harassment, check out my article How to Prove Sexual Harassment.
2. At-will: If you live anywhere but Montana, your employment is probably at-will, meaning your employer can fire you for any reason or no reason at all (with some exceptions). They can fire you because they're in a bad mood, because they didn't like your shirt, or because you lipped off to them like you lip off to your parents. Exceptions that would make a firing illegal include firing due to discrimination, making a worker's comp claim, and blowing the whistle on illegal activity of the company. If your boss tells you to do something that isn't illegal (or sexual harassment), then do it. No eye-rolling, back-talk or attitude.
3. Bullying: Does your school have zero tolerance for bullying? Boy, are you in for a shock. No federal or state law exists that prohibits workplace bullying. However, workplace bullies are very much like school bullies: they focus on the weak and the different. If you need to complain about a bully, make sure you do it in a way that's protected. If the bully is picking on the weak, are they weak because of a disability, pregnancy, or age? If they're picking on the different, is the difference based on race, national origin, age, or religion? If you report illegal discrimination, the law protects you from retaliation. If you report bullying, no law protects you. For more on workplace bullying, check out my articles Help! My Boss Is An Abusive Jerk and 7 Ways To Protect Yourself If Your Boss Is A Bully.
4. Discrimination: Discrimination against you for being you isn't illegal. However, discrimination and harassment due to race, sex, sexual identity, national origin, disability, religion, color, pregnancy and genetic information are. In some states, there are more categories of illegal discrimination. Whether sexual orientation is a protected category depends on your state and local law. The EEOC says sexual orientation discrimination as part of the laws against sex discrimination, but we'll have to wait to see if the courts agree. Discrimination laws don't apply to everyone. If you're an intern, independent contractor or work for a company with fewer than 15 employees, you may have no legal protection against discrimination.
5. Human Resources: If your employer is big enough, you probably have someone who is designated as the Human Resources person or a whole department called "Human Resources." It may be referred to as HR. This is the place to go for information about work rules, to report sexual harassment or discrimination, and you'll probably have to go there on your first day to fill out a stack of forms. While they can be very helpful if you have questions or concerns, they aren't your buddies. Human Resources represents your employer, not you. They aren't your mom or your best friend, so don't go to them with every petty complaint, confess you did something wrong, or tell them about the wild party you went to over the weekend. Keep it professional. For more on HR, check out my articleHR Wants To Meet! What Do I Do?
6. Contracts: In most states, if you're under 18 you can't be bound by a contract, including an employment contract. You (or your parents) can void a contract you've signed while underage. However, once you turn 18, you probably can't void it anymore. Employment contracts might have provisions saying you can't work for a competitor for a year or two, waiving your right to a jury trial, confidentiality obligations, and other important clauses. If you are asked to sign a contract, always read it and keep a copy once you've signed. If you don't understand it, talk to your parents or an employment lawyer in your state about it.
7. Social Media and Cell Phones: You are expected to work during work hours. That means no texting, emailing, calling, social media, downloading, or surfing at work, unless it's work-related. If you check your texts, emails, or social media on a company computer, cell phone or other device, the company probably has the right to look at it. If you view or send inappropriate pictures, jokes, or videos, you can be fired for doing so. There is very little privacy in the workplace, and you have few rights. Assume you're being watched at all times at work and you won't go wrong. Oh, and remember all those party pics and embarrassing photos you posted before you started applying for work? Employers and potential employers can see them. You probably want to check your social media pages and pull down anything you can that might be inappropriate for an employer to see. For more on workplace privacy, check out my article 10 New (And Legal) Ways Your Employer Is Spying On You.
8. Dangerous Work: It is every employer's duty to maintain a safe workplace. If you think your workplace is unsafe, you can contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to report dangerous conditions and get more information. Certain jobs are deemed too hazardous for teens under 18 to do.
9. What Kind Of Work You Can Do: Depending on your age, there may be limits on the type of work you can do. If you are under 14, you can work, but your options are limited. You can deliver newspapers, babysit, act or perform, work as a homeworker gathering evergreens and making evergreen wreaths, or work for a business owned by your parents as long as it's not mining, manufacturing or one of the occupations designated as hazardous. If you are 14 or 15, you can do things like retail, lifeguarding, running errands, creative work, computer work, clean-up and yard work that doesn't use dangerous equipment, some food service and other restaurant work, some grocery work, loading and unloading, and even do some work in sawmills and wood shops. We're talking non-manufacturing and non-hazardous jobs only. If you are 16 or 17, you can do any job that isn't labeled as hazardous.
10. Handbook: Read your employee handbook. It contains important information about discrimination, workplace rules, calling in sick and other things you need to know.

Of course, my book Stand Up For Yourself Without Getting Fired can help anyone new to the workplace since it covers how to handle workplace crises and issues from the interview and application, to your first day and that giant stack of papers, to workplace disputes, to promotions, to termination, and even post-termination. Plus, I write here every week about workplace rights.

Good luck with your summer job! May you never need an employment lawyer.

San Francisco Enacts Employee Bill Of Rights - What Rights Would You Put In?

San Francisco's employees now have rights, at least in the retail sector. The city has enacted a Retail Workers'  Bill Of Rights that includes rights such as:

• Offering extra hours to existing employees before hiring new employees or using subcontractors or temps;
• New owners must retain existing employees for at least 90 days;
• Provide a written estimate of the shifts and schedules employees will work before they start;
• Post schedules 2 weeks in advance;
• Provide advance notice of schedule changes and pay up to 4 hours for last minute shift cancellations;
• Provide on-call pay for all on-call shifts, whether or not actually called into work;
• Give part-time employees the same hourly rate and access to PTO as full-time employees.

While this is a good start, and should help those in the retail sector, what about other employees? In states like our pro-employer state of Florida, we need our own bill of rights for employees. Here's some of what I'd put in a Florida Employees' Bill of Rights:

1. True right to work: No restrictions on working for competitors. Instead, the restrictions would only be on stealing trade secrets.
2. My free time is my own: No monitoring of employees when they're off the clock, and no firing employees for legal off-duty activities.
3. Right to work in peace: Bullying doesn't belong in workplaces any more than in schools. Zero tolerance for workplace bullies.
4. Right to reasonable breaks: Right now we have zero laws that require any work breaks in Florida. It's time we give employees reasonable rest and meal breaks.
5. Right to a copy of anything you sign: If your employer makes you sign a warning, policy or contract, you should be provided a copy the same day you sign and anytime you request it.
6. Fair time to review contracts: Prospective employees should be provided copies of any and all contracts and agreements they will be expected to sign before they accept the offer. 
7. Consideration for contracts: Ban all sign-or-be-fired contracts and instead require reasonable consideration for any employment contract.

So, what would you put in your employee bill of rights? 

10 Workplace Rights You Think You Have -- But Don't (My Guest Blog Post on AOL Jobs)

This week I was a guest blogger on AOL Jobs. They must have liked my post since they've invited me to do more. Here's what it was about:

As an employment lawyer who has represented employees for 25 years, I find that everyone thinks they already know their rights. After years of watching shows like The Defenders, Fairly Legal and Damages, Americans have absorbed lots of legal information. Unfortunately, most of it is wrong. Before you mouth off to your boss about your rights, I thought I'd share with you the top 10 laws most employees think exist- that don't.

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.

Read the rest at AOL Jobs. Don't miss the comments. Lots of people shared war stories (including one guy who got fired because his employer didn't like his boots - and you think I make this stuff up).

By the way, Gina Misiroglu of Red Room put me in touch with the AOL people, which is one of the great ways she's bringing traffic to Red Room and getting attention for Red Room's authors. Thanks Gina!

Overview of Employee Rights

           Many employees are confused about their rights in the workplace. You may have rights you didn’t even know about, or think you have rights that don’t exist. This post will cover some basic employee rights, and try to clear up some misconceptions.

·         Discrimination

            You DO have the right to not be discriminated against based on race, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, genetic information, color, objecting to discrimination, or association with a person in one of these categories. But this right only applies if your employer is large enough. In most cases, your employer has to have at least 15 employees (for age, 20 employees). However, some states and local governments protect employees of smaller employers.

            You DON’T have the right to be of discrimination against you for being you. There are no protections for personality conflicts, weight, appearance, political beliefs (except if you work for government), non-religious beliefs, and other non-protected categories.

            You MIGHT have the right to be free of discrimination based upon sexual orientation, marital status, or other categories if your state or local government provide additional protections.

·         Harassment

You DO have the right not to be harassed due to your race, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, genetic information, color, objecting to discrimination, or association with a person in one of these categories, if your employer is big enough (see above).

You DO have the right not to be harassed if you’re a covered whistleblower, took covered Family and Medical Leave, made a worker’s compensation claim, or took some other legally protected action.

You DON’T have the right to be free of a hostile work environment that isn’t based on one of the above categories.

You DON’T have the right to be free of bullying or general harassment in the workplace.

If you complain about harassment, you DON’T have the right to be free of retaliation unless what you complained about was legally-protected harassment in one of the categories above.

·         Breaks

You DO have the right to be paid if you work through your lunch break or if your breaks last less than 20 minutes. This only applies if you are not exempt from the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

You DON’T have any federally-protected right to any rest or meal breaks. A few states do have some rest and meal break requirements, and the links are below. This is one of the most common misconceptions.

You PROBABLY have the right to take reasonable bathroom breaks. OSHA covers workplace safety and has requirements that restroom facilities be available. There’s no specific OSHA regulation about bathroom breaks, but if your employer won’t allow them, you might report them to OSHA.

·         Right to Work

If you live in a “right to work” state, you probably think you have rights you don’t. Be careful about this.

If your state is “right to work” that means you DO have the right to work in most industries without joining a union.

You DON’T necessarily have the right to work for a competitor. If you’re being asked to sign a noncompete agreement, get legal advice from a lawyer in your state. Don’t believe anyone other than a lawyer who practices employment law in your state who claims you can go ahead and sign because they won’t be enforced. Right to work simply has no effect on noncompete agreements.

You DON’T have the right to be fired only for good cause. Most states are at-will, meaning you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all unless you have a contract saying otherwise.

• Benefits

You DO have the right to get a description of your health insurance, pension, and other benefit plans.

You DO have the right to enforce the duty of the people managing your benefit plans to administer them without fraud, self-dealing or kickbacks.

You DON’T have the right to any specific benefits from your employer. Your employer doesn’t have to provide health insurance, vacation pay, sick pay, severance pay, pension or other benefits unless they have an existing plan.

You DON’T have the right to keep your insurance if the company cancels the health insurance plan.

• Contracts

            You DO have the right to understand contracts you’re being asked to sign before you sign. If you don’t understand, get advice from a lawyer before you sign.

            In some states, you DON’T have the right to refuse to sign a contract. Some states allow an employer to require you to sign away your rights to work for a competitor, get a trial if you’re a discrimination victim, or get a jury trial, and they are allowed to fire you if you refuse.

            You DON’T have the right to a jury trial, to try your case in court instead of arbitration, to work for a competitor, or to bring claims against your employer if you’ve signed away your rights, so make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to before you sign.

• Hours

            You DO have the right to be paid for all hours worked and to be paid overtime for hours worked over 40 hours if you aren’t exempt.

            You DON’T have the right to a specific schedule, to not work extra hours, or to come in late.

• Illness

            You DO have the right to take Family and Medical Leave if you’ve worked at least a year, if you work enough hours, and if your employer has 50 or more employees. But there are lots of hoops to jump through, so read your handbook and know the employer’s requirements.

            You DON’T have the right to sick leave, excessive absenteeism, take care of a sick kid, or miss work due to illness (even with a doctor’s note) unless you are covered by Family and Medical Leave.

• Disability

You DO have the right to seek reasonable accommodations for your disability that allow you to perform all the duties of your job, if your employer has at least 15 employees.

You DON’T have the right to be excused from any essential duties of your job, to light duty, or to accommodations that create an undue hardship for your employer.

• Whistleblower

            You DO have the right to report illegal activities of the employer to specific government entities, to object to or refuse to participate in certain illegal activities of the employer, and to not be retaliated against for doing so. Whistleblower laws are diverse and have lots of requirements, so make sure you’re doing what is required before you report or object to the illegal activity.

            You DON’T have the right to complain about incompetence, coworkers ripping off the company, ethical violations, unprofessionalism, or general harassment without rising retaliation. Make sure you’re protected before you complain.

• Privacy

            You DO have the right to privacy in your phone calls unless your employer meets certain legal requirements. If you think you’re being illegally recorded, contact an employment lawyer to find out your rights.

            You DO have some rights to privacy of your medical information.

            You DO have the right to not be subjected to a polygraph (except certain professions like law enforcement).

            You MAY have the right to privacy of your credit information. While many employers use credit history in their employment decisions, more states and EEOC are finding this practice to be a legal violation. It’s illegal to discriminate against you based upon a bankruptcy.

            You DON’T have the right to keep your criminal record a secret unless it’s expunged.

            You DON’T currently have the right to refuse to allow your employer to seek a credit report, but there are lots of laws in the works on this issue.

            You DON’T have the right to dress any way you want.

            You DON’T have the right to privacy in you off-duty behavior. You can be fired for things you do outside of work.

            You DON’T have the right not to be videotaped (without audio).

            You probably DON’T have the right not to have your belongings searched. Very few states provide protections. If you work for government, you are protected from being searched.

            You DON’T have the right to privacy in your workplace internet use or email.

            You probably DON’T have the right not to be drug tested. No states prohibit employment drug testing, but some do require cause for the test if it’s done while you’re employed, as opposed to pre-employment.

            You DON’T have the right to free speech. Your postings on Facebook, Twitter, your blog and other websites can get you fired. If you work for government, you have some free speech protections but they’re not unlimited.

            Conclusion

            There are entire sections of law libraries devoted to employment laws. When in doubt, consult an employment attorney before you complain, quit, sign contracts, or sue. The laws are confusing and sometimes have short deadlines and prerequisites to suit. If you think your employer or former employer is breaking the law, make sure you get legal advice.

Websites:

Department of Labor fact sheets on exemptions from the Fair Labor Standards Act http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/fairpay/

Department of Labor fact sheet on most common exemptions: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/fairpay/fs17a_overview.htm

List of states that have required rest periods for adults, and their requirements: http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/rest.htm

List of states that have required meal breaks for adults, and their requirements:

http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/meal.htm