Things You Need To Know About Employment Law

By Lauren Wolff 2 years ago

The mere fact that you work for someone does not give them more power than you. Yes, they can tell you what to do or not do in the company. At times, they might also present unreasonable arguments, which is a part of being someone’s employee. However, one thing they cannot do is cross their limits by violating your legal rights. 

Every employee has certain legal rights they are entitled to, and employers should respect that. Usually, employees are not aware of their own rights, making them vulnerable to unfair treatment. If you are an employee, employment law attorneys Connecticut can help you understand your rights and protect them in cases of need. 

Things you need to know about employment law

  • An unfair termination is not always illegal. 

Your termination can seem unfair to you sometimes, but it may not necessarily be illegal. If you were working for your Connecticut employer at an “at-will” contract, they are legally allowed to fire you anytime they want. 

They can fire you for any reason, whether it seems fair or unfair. Sometimes they may not even give you an explanation. However, there are certain exceptions to this. Even an “at-will” employee cannot be terminated because of their race, sex, color, caste, religion, nationality, etc. 

  • Employers are allowed to give bad references, but not untrue ones. 

There was a time when employers gave references for former employees when they sought to join a new company. However, that practice has become quite rare as employers fear being sued for defamation. Nowadays, employers only mention the dates of employment, your position in the company, and the salary. 

In the case your former employer does write something on your references, you need to make sure that it is true. Remember that you cannot get angry about bad but true references. But, you are allowed to speak up against false statements. 

  • You have the right to see your personnel file.

Employee personnel files are documents that contain various detailed information about that particular employee and their job performance. As an employee, you are legally allowed to ask your employer to show this file to you and even make a copy of it. It does not matter if you have already left the company. You can still request a copy from your former employer. You can go through the file and even ask them to add or remove documents. 

  • Employees with criminal records are protected. 

Many people are unaware of this fact, which makes it easier for them to be discriminated against. Just because you have a criminal record does not make you any less employable than people with a clean record. An employer cannot legally refuse to hire you or terminate you from the company because of this reason.