Sue Employer for Injury

As an employee, it doesn’t matter whether you work for a large company like Google or a small mom and pop shop. You have certain rights that no employer is allowed to violate. Take a look at four of the fundamental rights you have at work that you may not know about.

1. Time Away To Care for a Family Member

Your mother broke her hip and has no one to take care of her other than you. How do you tell your boss that you need to take at least three weeks off? You don’t have the vacation time accrued for all of it, so will you lose your job? Under the Federal Medical and Leave Act, every business that employs more than 50 people within 75 miles of your office, and if you have been an employee there for at least a year, you can take time off to care for your mother. FMLA has an application and approval process that you’ll need to go through, but know that you can take up to 12 weeks off of unpaid leave and not be in danger of losing your job.

2. Workers’ Compensation

Can you sue your employer for injury? That question has been asked a multitude of times, and the correct answer is, yes. If you get hurt on the job, and your employer does not pay up, you have the right to take them to court. Depending on your state, there are certain workers’ compensation insurance requirements in place to help pay for workplace injuries. If they are refusing, then you might need to file a lawsuit to get them to pay.

3. Safe Environment

You are not supposed to go to work to feel unsafe or afraid of your working conditions. Since the Industrial Revolution, workers’ rights have included the right to a safe environment to work in. Before there were regulatory measures in place, companies didn’t have to worry about wet floors, broken equipment or even machines that might take off an arm if an employer wasn’t safe. It wasn’t their responsibility, or so they thought.

4. Discrimination-Free Zone

Finally, you are entitled to a workplace environment free of nastiness and discrimination at the hands of the employer, managers and coworkers. You cannot be called names, taunted or attacked while at work either physically or verbally. Your employer also cannot fire you for things like getting pregnant or only hire people who do favors.

Knowing your rights in the workplace can keep you on your toes and on the lookout for violations. When you feel like something is off, it is your right to report it.