Minneapolis & St. Paul Employer Rights Lawyer
If you have employees, you need to know what your employee’s rights are. They deserve a safe place to work that is free from harassment. They can also seek legal representation if they feel like they aren’t being treated fairly.
While most people only think about employee’s rights, the truth is that you have rights too! You can also consult a lawyer if you feel like your rights are being violated.
Here are your rights as an employer.
Make Hiring Standards.
Who you hire is very important. Not only do you need to hire someone who is qualified, but you also need to make sure that he or she is a good fit for your business. Even the best employee won’t last if he or she doesn’t get along with your other employees.
You have a right to hire the right person for the job, no matter what.
Demand Hard Work.
Your employees deserve to be treated fairly, but so do you! You should expect that your employees are going to work hard for you. They should work to the best of their abilities at all time.
This means that, if an employee isn’t working as hard as he or she could, you have a right to talk to him or her about it.
Demand Overtime.
If needed, you can ask your employees to work overtime. While you may want to ask for volunteers, if nobody does, you can demand that they work overtime so that your business can stay competitive.
Quality Conscientious Work.
Not only should you expect your employees to work hard, but you also have the right to expect work that is the highest quality. You are the one who gets to set the standard and then expect your employees to do everything that they can to make sure that they are performing as good as they can.
However, you can’t take this too far. You can’t expect perfection – no one can! Your requests need to be reasonable.
This only means that you can talk to your employees if you feel like they are not performing at the standards that you already set. If your employees don’t try to improve, you have the right to get rid of them.
Loyalty from your employees.
While you can’t expect loyalty from your employees, you should expect them to work hard in the best interest of your business. Your employees shouldn’t be making deals on the side, attempting to take your customers from you. If you notice this behavior, you have every right to give them a stern lecture, though you can also terminate them.
Establish a dress code.
Though many people don’t agree, as an employer, you have the right to come up with a dress code for your staff. You can even have grooming standards.
There are a couple of reasons to have a dress code. One might be for safety. Certain outfits and jewelry could get caught in the machinery. Facial hair and loose hair could get in customer’s food orders.
You could also require uniforms in order to present your business in a certain way. You would expect to see someone in a business suit if you are meeting with a lawyer. If you are going to the hospital, you would expect to see scrubs and white coats on the doctors.
“At-Will” Termination
All states, except for Montana, give you the right to terminate any employee that you wish. You don’t even have to give them a reason. However, you have to make sure that discrimination doesn’t play a factor in these terminations or you could be looking at serious consequences.
Protection with your Trade Secrets.
Many businesses have trade secrets that give them an advantage over other similar businesses. You should expect your employees to keep these secrets for you. They shouldn’t be sharing them with anyone else, especially other businesses.
While most people think about technology and medical secrets, this right also applies to lists of your customers and suppliers. Your financial information, including your pricing information, all deserves to be kept secret.
Contest the Compensability of a Claim.
If one of your employees files a claim against you (or your other employees), you don’t have to sit back and take it. You can request that an investigation is launched so that you can get to the bottom of the issue.
Injuries are often contested. They may not have occurred at work, or the employee may have exaggerated their injuries in order to get more compensation.
To be Wrong.
Though most people think that the law is on the side of employees, the truth is that you have a right to discipline employees that aren’t doing what they are supposed to. You don’t even have to have conclusive proof, as long as you are acting in good faith. You can’t allow discrimination to factor in your decision or you could be looking at legal action.
When you are a business owner who has employees, you might be busy thinking about their rights. You have to give them a safe place to work and make sure that they aren’t discriminated against.
However, you also have rights. You deserve to have employees who are going to work hard for you, at the best of their ability. You can also demand overtime, though you might want to ask for volunteers first. They should also be loyal to your business by not making any deals on the side. They are at work to help you, not themselves.
If you have trade secrets, you deserve privacy. People don’t need to know what you have that other businesses don’t. They also don’t need to know your financial information and your customer list.
You have the right to contest the compensability of a claim. You can request an investigation so that you can get to the bottom of the issue. You are also allowed to be wrong. You can discipline your employees, as long as you are acting in good faith. You can be wrong, as long as you really believed in it.
To make sure that your rights are being followed, you may want to hire an experienced business lawyer. He or she will make sure that you are protected, in case anything happens.
Contact us for all of your legal needs.
Disclaimer: The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individualsituation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.