Employment & Workplace Rights
Know your rights at work. Plain-English guides to getting paid fairly, overtime and breaks, wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, leave and accommodations, workplace injuries, and final paychecks — what your employer can and cannot do, and what to do when they cross the legal line, for employees and employers alike.
Browse by situation
685 guides on your rights at work across 15 topics — for employees and employers.
Employee Rights: The Basics
Start here.
16 guides →Wages, Overtime & Breaks
Are you being paid everything you have earned? Understand minimum wage, overtime and the 40-hour rule, off-the-clock work, meal and rest breaks, who is exempt from overtime, and how tipped and salaried pay really work under the Fair Labor Standards Act and your state.
170 guides →Paychecks, Final Pay & Wage Theft
When your check is late, short, or never comes, you have remedies.
69 guides →Firing & Wrongful Termination
Most firings are legal — but many are not.
70 guides →Workplace Discrimination
It is illegal to treat you worse because of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, pregnancy, or disability.
20 guides →Harassment & Hostile Workplace
Sexual harassment and a hostile work environment are forms of illegal discrimination.
17 guides →Retaliation & Whistleblowing
Your employer cannot punish you for asserting your rights.
17 guides →Leave & Time Off
When can you take time off and keep your job and pay? Understand FMLA family and medical leave, maternity and paternity leave, paid sick leave, PTO and vacation payout, jury duty, and military leave — and which protections are federal, which are state, and which are neither.
120 guides →Disability & Accommodations
The ADA requires employers to reasonably accommodate disabilities and medical conditions.
19 guides →Injuries, Workers’ Comp & Safety
Hurt on the job, or working somewhere unsafe? Understand workers’ compensation — what it covers, how to file, and why you generally cannot be fired for it — plus your OSHA right to a safe workplace and to report hazards without retaliation.
20 guides →Unemployment Benefits
Lost your job? Learn whether you qualify for unemployment, how being fired vs.
19 guides →Contracts, Non-Competes & Severance
Before you sign — or after you’re asked to.
70 guides →Hiring, Background Checks & Privacy
Your rights start before day one and follow you through the job.
20 guides →Worker Classification & Gig Work
Are you really an independent contractor, or a misclassified employee owed wages and benefits? Understand the 1099-vs-W-2 tests, what misclassification costs you, and the rights of gig and freelance workers under shifting federal and state rules.
18 guides →For Employers & HR
Guidance for employers and HR.
20 guides →Latest employment-rights guides
- 1099 vs W-2: Which Is Better for Employees? Taxes, Pay & Calculator
1099 vs W-2 explained for workers: how taxes, pay, and benefits compare, a take-home calculator method, and red flags for misclassification.
- ADA Accommodations for Mental Health: Anxiety, Depression, ADHD and Migraines
Mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD and migraines can qualify for ADA accommodations. Here is how the law works and how to request one.
- Am I Eligible for Unemployment Benefits? A Complete Checklist
A plain-English checklist to know if you qualify for unemployment benefits: work history, why you left your job, and the weekly rules that vary by state.
- Am I Entitled to Breaks at Work? Meal and Rest Break Laws Explained
Federal law rarely requires breaks, but many states do. Learn your meal and rest break rights, when breaks must be paid, and how to file a wage claim.
- "Am I Entitled To...?" A Plain-English Guide to Your Basic Employee Rights
A plain-English guide to your basic U.S. employee rights: pay, overtime, breaks, leave, and protection from discrimination, plus how to document and file a claim.
- Am I Entitled to Severance Pay When I'm Let Go?
No federal law guarantees severance pay, but contracts, policies, and the WARN Act can create a right. Here's how to know if you're owed and what to do.