Employment Law Information

Archive for November, 2009

There are many types of harassment in the workplace; one of the main types being verbal abuse. What constitutes something as verbal abuse? The fact is, any language that impedes maintaining a professional rapport in the office or within individuals due to intimidation, belittling, hurtful language, or mental and emotional isolation.

The Abuser

The most common type of workplace abuse derives from an abuser who has a “higher standing” or is a “veteran” within the company or institution. The abuser usually creates their own universe where he or she must abuse or put someone down in order to feel better about him or herself. It is not uncommon for an abuser to have had a rough or abusive childhood. For abusers, it is easier for to hide how he or she feels inside with distractingly abusive behavior. The abuser usually wants empathy and respect from the victim and feels he or she can achieve this by forceful means and without having to develop a genuine relationship with the other.

The Victim

An abusive relationship is usually a confusing scenario for the victim. He or she is usually unaware of what kind of life the abuser faced as a child or prior to his or her current employment. Most professionals would like to maintain a equal relationship with his or her coworker, supervisor, or other work-related contact. He or she may never feel completely adequate at his or her work, alienated from the abuser as well as other coworkers, emotionally stressed, or even feel compelled to quit. Coworkers may inadvertently encourage these feelings if they have never personally felt the same and express to the victim that he or she may be exaggerating or trying to create “drama” in the workplace.

Signs of Verbal Abuse in the Workplace:

- Constant feeling of work inadequacy
- Being constantly ignored and treated differently
- Sarcastic remarks with the intent of bringing someone down
- Feeling alienated from others in the workplace
- Use of inappropriate or derogatory language
- Supervisors using his or her authority in an improper manner
- Coworkers attempting to overstep their boundaries with condescending words
- Performance critiques discussed in public work settings
- Any situation that hinders developing or maintaining a professional relationship with someone

For more information on verbal abuse in the workplace and how to do deal with it, please visit the Houston Employment Lawyer of the Ross Law Group.

Joseph Devine

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All workers have certain rights granted to them by federal laws as well as laws from individual states which protect them against workplace accidents and negligent employers. In addition to the benefits experienced by employees, employers benefit from these laws because they increase the productivity of employees. The community benefits from workers’ compensation laws as well: the laws keep health costs low.

Injured Workers and Their Rights

If you are an employee in the United States, you should be familiar with your rights as a worker in regard to an injury, accident, and losses experienced in the workplace. These rights include:

Workers’ Compensation:

Every worker in the United States is entitled to workers’ compensation coverage. If you are hurt on the job or in the workplace, your employer may have a responsibility to help cover the costs of your medical needs. There are exceptions to the rule which vary by situation and state. If you think you are entitled to workers’ compensation coverage that you have not received, you might consider seeking legal advice.

Disability Compensation:

If you experience an accident on the job, you may experience injuries that leave you with either temporary or permanent disabilities. These disabilities may even prevent you from returning to your job, forcing you to miss work or forcing you to find other employment. For this reason, disability compensation from your employer can help provide you with funds to help support yourself and your family either during your time of healing or permanently if you are unable to return to work. Depending on your injury, your work history, and your employer, your compensation will vary.

Information:

As an employee, you are entitled to proper education about safety, insurance coverage, and legal rights. Your employer is obligated to provide you with this information any time you have any questions about workers’ compensation, disability compensation, or injury claims.

Formal Complaints:

You have the right to file a complaint if your employer neglects proper standards of employee safety and care or if you feel you have not gained just compensation for any loss. The Department of Workers’ Compensation can provide you with information about complaints, as can your employer, your insurance representative, or a legal adviser.

Despite the rights of all United States workers, some employers fail to properly recognize these rights. In this case it is often advisable to seek legal assistance. For more information about work-related injuries and workers’ compensation, contact the Des Moines workers’ compensation lawyers of LaMarca & Landry, P.C.

Joseph Devine

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The Industrial Revolution has brought radical changes in the working place. This historical phenomenon swept much of the world, especially Europe where it started and the Americas. One radical change it brought to the working place is the deterioration of working conditions as the number of workers or employees rose meteorically. In this regard, the government would need to pass laws protecting the rights of workers. These protective laws paved the way for the creation of modern employment law in the United States.

What is Employment Law?

The Employment Law protects employees or workers from any kind of mistreatment on the workplace. The poor working conditions that resulted from Industrial Revolution led to the creation of laws establishing fair wages, limiting the number of working hours in a week and prohibiting child labor. Other labor related laws also include laws regulating the cleanliness of the workplace, protection of employees from any kind of hazardous accidents.

Employment Laws have been passed standardizing the provision of benefits by the employers for the employees.

Employment Law includes health insurance that benefits workers if medical problems arise due to poor work condition or unsanitary workplace. In addition, Employment Law also covers protection against discrimination in the workplace based on religion, race, gender and other factors.

Let us focus more on employment discrimination laws that protect employees from discrimination in the workplace. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces several employment discrimination laws that protect employees from compensation discrimination. One of these laws is the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The passage of this law is milestone in labor history as it ensures that there shall be no wage discrimination based on sex in the workplace.

The Equal Pay Act

As stated above, this law requires that no wage discrimination shall take place based on gender. This law requires that men and women be given equal wage for the same work rendered in the same workplace. The jobs need not to be the same, but they must be essentially equal.

Further, the EPA states that it is not the job titles that matter in determining whether jobs are substantially equal but the job content. Men and women alike are protected by EPA as it prohibits unequal wages to both genders that perform a job that requires substantially equal amount of work, skill and responsibility in the same workplace and same working conditions. Pay differentials are only allowed when they are based on merit, seniority, quantity or quality of production or other factors than gender.

Employees expect that their employers will adhere to the Employment Laws discussed above. Moreover, basic standards of fairness in terms of employment decisions shall be observed in the workplace, like equal page for equal job for both sexes. Sometimes, however, these labor laws are not adhered to by employers. If you are a victim of unfair labor practice, do not hesitate to fight for your rights. An experienced civil rights lawyer or employment lawyer might help you build a strong case against your abusive employer.

Charlie Prenicolas is a legal researcher who writes informative articles on Illinois civil rights, medical malpractice, and personal injury cases. For more information on reputable Chicago civil right lawyers, kindly visit Dolan Law Offices today.

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