helping law enforcement protect the community

Do you know what is being done in your community to protect the citizens from crime? Do you have a crime-watch program? Is there a community website that lists the current investigations and events that may have recently occurred? Law enforcement officials can only do so much when it comes to protecting a community. If your community is not active in protecting itself, crime rates could rise and many residents could find themselves the target or victim of crimes. Visit my blog to find out what you can do as a community to lower crime rates and help the law enforcement officials do their jobs.

Employee Rights: What You Need To Know In The Workplace

Law Blog

Upon interviewing for and accepting a position in a company, it is imperative that employees are aware of all of their workplace rights. Fair treatment of employees is not only sound public policy, but also is a good business practice. The following are examples of employee rights that should be anticipated:

Questions About The Hiring and Interviewing Process

During an interview, there are many rights afforded to the candidates. There are specific questions that cannot, by law, be asked during an interview. No questions about age are permitted unless it refers to being a minor. Still, the candidate does not have to disclose his or her age, just that they are under age 18. Employers may also not ask about medications taken, questions about religion, or questions about family dynamics. In addition, employers also may not ask about any physical characteristics of a candidate, such as questions referring to weight.

Rights Regarding Leave

While most employees accept a job for the salary, they may also accept it because of the benefits of the job. Leave eligibility is often a major consideration when accepting a job.

Employers are not legally required to provide sick leave. However, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects you from taking unpaid medical leave. An employer may not deny leave to employees who have pregnancy-related issues if other employees are granted unpaid leave for other medical issues.

Military leave is provided to all members of the Armed Forces who have to serve their country. This leave will provide workplace protection of their position when they return home after being activated.

Right To Privacy

All employees are entitled to a specific level of privacy at work. Medical privacy is provided by HIPAA. You employer has many means of getting your personal medical information, which is legal. However, he or she is not allowed to disclose any information to anyone else.

An employee also has a reasonable expectation of privacy, even during workplace searches. Your employer may not go through your desk or search your office without a verified, legitimate need. For instance, if there is missing inventory, the employer may choose to search the office for it, although that is still a slippery slope.

You also have a right to privacy regarding your off-duty conduct. You employer has no rights to intrude on your conduct while you are off the clock unless it directly impacts your ability to do your job. It would then have to be proven that what you do in your spare time prohibits your ability to do your job.

If you have more questions about employee rights, contact McFarland & Masters LLC.

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24 April 2017