Every employee has certain rights in the workplace. Just because the employer owns the place or the company does not mean they can do anything and get away with it. If you work for someone, you must know you have certain rights.
Learning about your rights can help you understand what is okay and not. Therefore, if your employee does something that goes against the laws, you can take legal action against them with the help of an employment lawyer.
Top 5 employee rights you should know about
- Payslip.
You must ask for a payslip on the day you get paid or before that. A payslip contains all the information about your salary or wages. It should have a pay breakdown along with tax and national insurance. Your employer can choose between a paper payslip or an online one. Your payslip should also include your tax code.
- Privacy.
You have the right to privacy at your workplace. Employees take personal items to their offices, be it a laptop, briefcase, mobile phone, notepad, etc. You have the right to ask for private storage in the office so you can store your items. No person, be it your colleague or your boss, can demand to review your personal items.
- Casual leave.
There are different types of leaves provided by jobs, such as paid vacations, sick leave, maternity leave, etc. One more leave that you are entitled to is casual leave. This leave is used for emergencies, such as family emergencies. Your child’s teachers could have called you to school, or you may need to take your parents to the hospital. Your employer has no right to prevent you from taking such leaves.
- Anti-discriminatory work environment.
Every employer has the right to work for an anti-discriminatory employer. No worker should any form of discrimination based on their nationality, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. If you think you are being discriminated against and are unsure, you can hire an attorney to look into the situation. Sometimes people do not report incidents of discrimination because they do not realize it in the first place.
- Safe workplace.
Employers must provide a medically safe and healthy work environment for their employees. Employers should take the necessary steps to ensure the offices or workplaces are free of hazards that could result in accidents. If you injure yourself due to the employer’s negligence, you could file a premises liability lawsuit against them.
While there are various other rights of an employee, these are some of the most basic and important ones. If you see your employer violate any of these, contact an attorney.