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
647 guides on your rights at work across 15 topics — for employees and employers.
Employee Rights: The Basics
Start here.
15 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.
169 guides →Paychecks, Final Pay & Wage Theft
When your check is late, short, or never comes, you have remedies.
65 guides →Firing & Wrongful Termination
Most firings are legal — but many are not.
62 guides →Workplace Discrimination
It is illegal to treat you worse because of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, pregnancy, or disability.
18 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.
15 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.
110 guides →Disability & Accommodations
The ADA requires employers to reasonably accommodate disabilities and medical conditions.
17 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.
16 guides →Unemployment Benefits
Lost your job? Learn whether you qualify for unemployment, how being fired vs.
18 guides →Contracts, Non-Competes & Severance
Before you sign — or after you’re asked to.
68 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.
19 guides →Latest employment-rights guides
- Meal and Rest Break Laws in Tennessee: Are Breaks Required?
Tennessee requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break at 6 consecutive hours -- but two exceptions apply, and neither reaches workers under 18.
- Can an Employer Legally Deny a PTO or Time-Off Request?
Yes, employers can usually deny discretionary PTO, but denials can be illegal when they hit FMLA, ADA, or protected leave. Know the difference and your options.
- Are Non-Competes Enforceable in Nebraska? Your Rights Explained
Are non-competes enforceable in Nebraska? Learn Nebraska's strict no-blue-pencil rule, the reasonableness test, and what to do if asked to sign one.
- Kentucky Minimum Wage: Rate, Tipped Wage, and Local Rules
Kentucky's minimum wage is $7.25/hour, matching the federal floor. Learn the tipped cash wage, tip-credit rules, and why local minimums are banned.
- South Dakota Minimum Wage: Rate, Tipped Wage, and Local Rules
South Dakota's minimum wage is set above the federal $7.25 and rises every January with inflation. See the current rate, the 50% tipped cash wage, and where to verify.
- Meal and Rest Break Laws in North Carolina: Are Breaks Required?
North Carolina does not require meal or rest breaks for adult workers, but minors under 16 must get a break. See the rules, pay, and how to enforce them.