5 Workplace Injustices Worth Pursuing Legally

If you’ve been experiencing injustice in the workplace, you’re not alone. It’s unfortunately common for employers to violate their employees’ rights for self-serving reasons. The big question is whether or not you should pursue legal action. If you do, you’ll almost certainly need to find another job, but in addition to the potential for financial compensation, you probably don’t want to keep working for the company, anyway.

Whether you’re facing an unfairly denied workers comp claim, missed breaks, wage theft, or another serious issue, the following is a list of several workplace injustices worth legally pursuing.

1. A denied workers’ compensation claim

Most employers in all 50 U.S. states are required to carry a workers’ compensation insurance policy. There are limited exceptions to this rule, but they’re rare. If the company you work for either doesn’t have a policy, or your valid claim was denied, it’s worth getting a lawyer involved.

Certain challenging situations warrant an attorney more than others. For example, if your employer doesn’t have the required coverage, you have a pre-existing condition, don’t understand how the workers’ compensation process works, or you can’t go back to work at all, you’ll benefit greatly from having an attorney. These situations are hard to fight on your own.

2. Discrimination

Unfair treatment is absolutely worth pursuing, especially when it’s based on age, race, gender, religion, or disability. Situations like being passed over for a promotion due to protected characteristics, having to endure a hostile work environment, getting unequal pay, and discriminatory hiring and firing practices are all good examples of situations worth pursuing legally.

Just make sure that the situation you encountered was actually discriminatory before proceeding. It’s sometimes easy to misinterpret a valid decision or action as discriminatory when you belong to a group of people who commonly experience discrimination. It’s important to look at the situation from all sides to see if you were in the wrong. If you take your employer to court and end up in the wrong, they will likely get a judgment against you to pay all their legal fees.

3. Sexual harassment

Whether it’s verbal or physical, sexual harassment is never acceptable in the workplace. Even if it’s just inappropriate conversations that make you feel uncomfortable, you have a right to not be subjected to any of that.

If you’ve been experiencing unwanted physical contact or advances, requests/demands for sexual favors, or even retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, contact a lawyer immediately. If your boss hasn’t taken care of the problem (or if your boss is the problem), a lawyer can help.

4. Wage and hour violations

Wage and hour violations are some of the most serious issues you could experience at work because they mess with your livelihood. This includes situations like not getting paid minimum wage, unpaid overtime, being misclassified as exempt, illegal paycheck deductions, denied rest or meal breaks, and being required to work off the clock.

When you were hired, you didn’t agree to work for free, and you certainly didn’t agree to give up your basic rights as an employee. In South Carolina, for example, there are no state requirements for breaks, but the federal default applies. If you’re not being treated fairly, talk to an employment attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case.

5. Safety violations

Workplace safety violations (OSHA violations) can be a serious problem, and can present in numerous ways, including not being given proper safety equipment, being told to ignore safety policies to get work done faster, and other employees violating safety protocol in ways that force you to be involved or else you can’t complete your workload. For example, you might be told to take a quick run to the baler to put some cardboard inside, but if you haven’t been certified to use the baler, even putting something inside can be dangerous.

Dangerous working conditions are serious, and it’s not your problem if your employer doesn’t want to follow the rules and create a safe work environment. If they are cutting corners to save money, that’s not your concern. It’s their legal responsibility to spend the money to create a safe workplace, and if they can’t do that, then they probably shouldn’t be operating.

Right your wrongs legally

No matter what you’re experiencing at work, if the situation is violating your rights, you can pursue the issue legally. Talk to an attorney to find out if you have a good case, and pursue the matter in court. While not every workplace issue requires legal intervention, sometimes that’s what it takes to make things right.