Workplace rights

• ✺Knowing your rights helps you recognize when something happening at work may be illegal, not just unfair.
• ✺Many employees are unaware of specific protections like overtime eligibility or anti-retaliation rules, which can mean missed pay or unaddressed violations.
• ✺Understanding how to report a violation gives you a path to address serious workplace problems.

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the federal agency enforcing workplace anti-discrimination laws.

FLSA

Fair Labor Standards Act — the federal law setting minimum wage and overtime rules.

Exempt employee

An employee, often salaried, who doesn't qualify for overtime pay under specific federal criteria.

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration — the federal agency that sets and enforces workplace safety standards.

Retaliation

Punishing an employee for reporting a violation or exercising a legal workplace right, which is itself illegal.

• ✗Assuming you have no recourse if you experience discrimination or unpaid wages.
• ✗Not knowing whether you're classified as exempt or non-exempt for overtime purposes.
• ✗Staying silent about unsafe working conditions out of fear, when OSHA complaints are protected from retaliation.
• ✗Missing filing deadlines for discrimination complaints, which can be as short as 180 or 300 days depending on the situation.
• ✗Not documenting incidents (dates, details, witnesses) that might later support a complaint.

• !EEOC discrimination complaints generally must be filed within 180 days of the incident, extended to 300 days in states with their own fair employment agency.
• !Many federal workplace protections apply only to employers above a certain size (often 15 or more employees for anti-discrimination laws).
• !Many states have their own labor laws that provide additional protections beyond federal minimums.
• !Retaliation for reporting a legitimate workplace complaint is illegal, even if the original complaint doesn't result in a finding of wrongdoing.

• Federal laws protect employees from discrimination, guarantee minimum wage and overtime for eligible workers, and require safe working conditions.
• The EEOC, Department of Labor, and OSHA are key agencies enforcing these rights.
• Retaliation against employees who report violations is illegal.
• Deadlines for filing complaints, especially for discrimination, can be short, so acting promptly matters.

Totally optional. Nobody's grading you.

1. 1.Learn whether your role is classified as exempt or non-exempt for overtime purposes.
2. 2.Keep notes with dates and details if you ever experience something you believe violates your workplace rights.

Related lessons:

• How interviews work
• Understanding employment contracts
• What to do if you lose your job

• Filing a charge of discrimination
  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)(opens in a new tab)
• Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act
  U.S. Department of Labor(opens in a new tab)
• Workplace safety and health (OSHA)
  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)(opens in a new tab)