If you feel like you’ve been wronged at work, especially by your employer, sometimes it can feel like you have no recourse and you simply have to either take it or quit. However, that’s not always the case. Although they can certainly change depending on what state you are in, one thing is crucial to make clear: you have rights. Yes, even in at-will states. Here, we’re going to look at a few of the rights that more employees should know and what you can do to stand up for them in some cases.
Your right to get paid
It’s the simplest right in the books: if you work as agreed, then you get paid as agreed. There are many cases in which employers have withheld pay, sometimes as a punitive measure. However, they are legally not allowed to do that in the vast majority of circumstances. Similarly, if your employer isn’t able to pay you regularly or on the agreed-upon dates as stated in your contract, then they are breaching your rights, as well. Reporting unpaid wages if your employer has failed to pay you is crucial. If they have failed to do it for a while now, then you can even claim back pay to make sure that you are made entirely whole.