You don’t have to be an HR professional to deal with employment law, directly or indirectly. Employment law is constantly changing, and it’s important for all professionals to understand laws that could impact them or affect their rights as an employee. No matter what your career field, you may come across situations where knowing employment laws may be necessary in order to understand your rights and responsibilities.
And one of the best ways to become informed about employment law topics that affect you and your fellow employees is by taking a continuing education course on the topic.
Discrimination Laws
Either during the recruiting and hiring process or afterward, you may feel like you are being discriminated against by a company or employer. But what does the law say? Have you really been discriminated against according to federal or state law? Only by knowing something about employment law can you be sure that discrimination has actually occurred and that you will have a legal case against the company or employer.
Worker’s Compensation
Specific rules govern workplace accidents and injuries, and can determine whether you can get medical expenses and time off covered by the employer if you are injured on the job. Before you file a claim and schedule surgery, physical therapy or other treatment, you may need to know what the law says about your situation to avoid incurring expenses that can’t be covered.
Employment law is set up to protect employees and employers in different situations.
COBRA
Does your employer have to provide COBRA insurance options, and will COBRA benefit you as you leave your job or change jobs? Employers typically must meet specific guidelines as far as the type of coverage that needs to be provided, the length of time it must be provided, and how much you need to pay toward the coverage. Continuing education on the topic of employment law can provide this information so you can hold your employer accountable for providing the coverage to which you are entitled.
Labor Relations
Companies are required by law to handle a variety of employment-related situations in specific ways in order to be compliant with the law. Union rights and collective bargaining fall under labor relations, but any negotiations involving salary, benefits and other working conditions is also part of this area of employment law.
Most employment laws are set up to safeguard the rights of employees, but you won’t necessarily know your rights without some way of finding out about them. You may want to file a complaint or a lawsuit against an employer, but you won’t know if you have a leg to stand on without some information about employment law. Taking a continuing education course will give you the knowledge you need to make good decisions about employment situations when they do arise so that you can protect yourself when needed. CCSU offers continuing education courses on many topics including employment law that can benefit employees and employers alike. View open courses to see what courses are offered in the area of employment law.