Labor Law
Most employers are concerned as to the instances in which they are required to give employees time off. They want to know if their is a labor law that states that they must do so. If you are just starting a new business and are concerned as to when it is that you must give employees off, you should speak with an attorney so that they will inform you of what the labor law requires. An attorney will notify you of the labor law so that you are aware of what the proper protocol is. By knowing the labor law for the issues that you are presented with, this allows you to be able to avoid any legal trouble.
1. One of the areas that your attorney will inform you about in regards to what constitutes as required time off pertains to jury duty. An attorney will tell you that although the labor law does not say that you have to provide pay for jury duty in some states, you are to allow your employee to go to jury duty. If an employee is to take off for jury duty, the labor law says that you will be penalized if you discipline or fire someone for this reason. An attorney will be able to tell you what that penalty could potentially be in your state. Your attorney could tell you that you may be forced to pay for that employee’s lost wages or you could receive as much as a criminal charge, depending on the state you reside in.
2. An attorney will also inform you as to if there is a required time that you must give your employees to vote. The labor law for most states says that you are to give employees a few hours of paid time off to vote. The attorney will tell you the requirement for your state specifically. This can be within reason. An employer is only required to give the employee sufficient time that they need to vote. However, the labor law does say that even if you are not required to pay your employee for the hours taken off, you are not to punish them in any way, shape, or form because they have decided to vote.
3. An attorney is definitely going to tell you what the labor law says in regards to an employee taking time off for a military leave. In almost every state, you will find an attorney tell you that their state labor law requires an employer to give their employees time off to perform a military service. Nevertheless, some states require you to only grant a military leave if an employee is going in active duty, so this sometimes does not include training. Either way, an employer is not required to pay their employees for the time off.
