Rights in the Workplace: Everything You Need to Know

Treating employees with respect and fairness is critical for two reasons.2 min read

Employee Rights

Treating employees with respect and fairness is critical for two reasons. First, it establishes a company's reputation for fairness and impartiality. This reputation is carefully scrutinized by individuals both within and outside of the organization and is a vital factor in keeping and attracting desirable employees. The second, equally important reason is that identifying and safeguarding employee rights reduces the possibility of the company becoming embroiled in charges of discrimination, lengthy litigation and costly settlements.

Employee rights fall into three categories:

  • The right to job security.
  • The right to fair treatment by the employer.
  • The right to fair treatment in the workplace.

Right to Fair Treatment by Employer

Fair treatment of employees includes honoring their rights to privacy and providing feedback regarding their performance in order to enable them to successfully meet job requirements.

Examples of employee privacy include:

  • The right to refuse a polygraph or drug test as a condition for employment.
  • The right to access employment records. Although federal agencies and only six states have laws regarding this right, over 50 percent of major national companies now have written guidelines for allowing employees access to their personnel files.
  • The right to prohibit release of information regarding the employee to other organizations without the employee's consent.

Fair treatment of the employee is guaranteed by:

  • The right to specific information regarding company expectations and prohibitions as stated in an Employee Manual.
  • The right to due process procedures including consistent rules and protocol for grievances.
  • The right to a progressive system of discipline including: an oral warning, a written warning, suspension, transfer or demotion, and, as a last resort, discharge.

Right to Fair Treatment Within the Workplace

Executives often forget that their employees are entitled to an environment in which they are treated with fairness and respect by their fellow workers. Among these workplace rights are:

  • The right to equal and impartial treatment by other employees regardless of race, sex, age, national origin, disability, religion.
  • The right to be free from sexual harassment.
  • The right to information about a plant or office closing.

The Plant Closing Act of 1988 requires employers to provide affected employees with 60 days notification of a plant closing. The right to knowledge about workplace hazards ranges from warnings about chemicals used in the company to necessary safety precautions and simple guidelines for avoiding accidents.

Federal legislation protects employee rights, and it is the responsibility of the employer to be informed regarding the interpretation of these laws. Violations of workplace rights make the employer liable to charges of discriminatory practices.

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