You have no doubt worked hard and sacrificed a lot to be in the role you have secured, a fact we tend to forget in the height of the onboarding chaos. Another consideration that is often forgotten is your rights as an employee. When you start your new job, this is something you should be in total understanding of, with many employees skirting around the topic for fear or scaring off an employer by broaching this fundamental right. If you haven’t thought about this before, let’s review what your rights are as an employee.
Termination and unfair dismissals
You might feel like it’s ill fate to discuss the occurrence of an unfair dismal at the start of your role, but knowing this information can only serve you in your journey with that employer. Don’t learn about your rights for the first time with an employment lawyer sitting across from you. But if you do require to engage the services of one, be sure to check out this employment lawyer Toronto. Not surprisingly, your employer has the right to terminate your employment if you breach your contract in a significant way or fail to carry out your role despite a number of warnings. If your contract is terminated outside of those circumstances you may have an unfair dismal on your hands and can seek an appropriate course of action that might result in an explanation, reinstatement of employment, or a payout figure to compensate the dismissal. It is uncommon that an employer will design their own termination terms in their employee contracts, but always read every page of your contract to avoid surprises.
Wages
There are many rights that surround your wages, so let’s cover off the fundamental rights you should be expecting from your employer. You have the right to be paid above the minimum wage, and within a specified time frame that cannot exceed a month (unless stated in your contract). You are also entitled to payment when attending training that is vital to the role you have been employed to do and enrolled by your employer. You also have the rate to know your hourly rate even if you are on a salary, with a detailed payslip to be issued upon your request.
Discrimination
The issue of employment discrimination is always a hot topic and one that is quite straightforward despite what you might believe. Upon applying for a job, you cannot be discriminated against for your gender, age, race, religion or sexual orientation, with some employers going as far as leaving title (Miss, Mrs, Mr, etc) and name off application forms and portals. Similarly, your contract can not be terminated for the same discriminating factors. An example of this in motion would be to not hire a more qualified woman over a man, with the reason being that they the employer thinks they will be too emotional or unable to put in the hours due to family duties. Another example would be to terminate a contract when an employee’s religion is uncovered.
Leave
You are also entitled to holiday leave benefits if you have taken a full-time or part-time position (part-time leave is not always negotiated), and this leave can be taken at your will if your industry type does not prohibit this. You are also entitled to sick leave, which will equate to a number of days a year. Carers leave (leave to care for children, partner and immediate family) is another entitlement, and will either make up a separate number of days per year or able to be taken as part of your sick leave. Depending on what country you live in, you are also entitled to take paid leave to donate blood or volunteer.
There are the fundamental rights that you are entitled to as an employee, and any of these items can be addressed by you for further clarity if requires. Remember, there are Human Resource teams that exist to serve your needs and maintain a safe environment for you, so don’t be afraid to address anything with these professionals.
