Employment law helps to protect the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the employer and employee relationship. Employment law attorneys tend to represent one or the other: employers or employees but typically not both. They can help to rectify certain situations between employers and employees, either salvaging the relationship, negotiating settlements, or pursuing further legal action in court.
Common Case for Employment Law
Common grievances between employees and their employers can include workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour laws, and wrongful termination. Workplace discrimination means that your employer is wrongfully firing or punishing you for things outside of your control, such as your gender, race, or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment is another common problem, where employers allow for inappropriate sexual behavior that prevents the employee from being able to comfortably and adequately able to do his or her job.
In addition to harassment issues, wage and hour laws protect employees from an employer that attempts to pay them too little in accordance with the law. It also deals with overtime pay and prompt payments. Different states have different laws in terms of how long an employer can withhold pay as well as how much the minimum wage requires them to pay you. Additionally, employers may not wrongfully terminate you due to retaliation for legal complaints or some other characteristic. If any of these apply to you, employment law attorneys in Springfield, MA can help.
Smaller Businesses
The one downfall to employment law is that certain businesses, especially ones that are small as defined by your state laws, might not be held to the same laws or have to follow the same laws. This can be frustrating for employees. If you are unsure about whether or not you have a case against your employer, employment law attorneys such as Connor Morneau & Olin LLP can help.