Religious freedom is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and is the first one that is listed in the First Amendment. Religious liberty includes the right to practice a religion of your choice while enjoying all of the privileges and benefits of society. Religious discrimination is prohibited in multiple settings, including education, work, housing, public accommodations,
Your gender identity is the gender with which you identify. It may be different from your anatomical or assigned gender from your birth. There is not a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has interpreted the federal prohibition of sex discrimination to include discrimination based on
The Family and Medical Leave Act or FMLA was amended in 2008 so that employees who have military family members could take unpaid time off from their jobs. The employees can take FMLA leave to deal with issues that arise from a family member being called for active duty. Family members are also able to
Many employees in New Jersey and Pennsylvania rely on their employer-provided health insurance to help them to pay for their medical care needs. Since medical care is very expensive in the U.S., employer-provided health insurance is a prized benefit among employees. Many employers offer benefits packages that include health, dental, and vision insurance to attract
Some businesses have dress codes for their employees. If your employer has a different dress code for its male and female workers, you might wonder whether it is legally allowed to implement the difference in the dress codes based on gender. This practice is particularly common in the service industry with servers. Some restaurants will
Some businesses use pay docking and unpaid suspensions as methods of employee discipline when their employees violate their workplace rules. These forms of discipline are problematic when they are used to discipline employees who are statutorily exempt from overtime rules. If your pay has been docked or you have been placed on an unpaid suspension
Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act or IRCA, it is illegal for employers that have at least four employees to discriminate against applicants and workers based on their citizenship status. The IRCA also offers protection to workers from discrimination based on their national origins. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 similarly
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, certain workers have the right to take 12 weeks of annual leave to care for their own serious medical issues and those of their family members. The leave is unpaid, but the law allows many workers to keep their jobs while they take care of their family obligations.
When employers violate the Family and Medical Leave Act, their employees may have grounds to file claims against them. Employers who are covered by the law must allow eligible workers to take time off from work to care for their own health conditions or those of their family members. When employees request FMLA leave, they
Sexual harassment is illegal when it occurs in the workplace. You might be unclear about what constitutes sexual harassment vs. when the harassment is non-sexual in nature. Sexual harassment at work is considered to be a type of unlawful discrimination, and it includes unwelcome sexual comments, behavior, or conduct about gender, sex, or sexual orientation.