Introduction

• Author: Randy Freking
• Profession: Labor employment lawyer
• Pages: 13-14

xiii

If you work for a living, regardless of whether you

are a “blue collar” hourly employee or a “white

collar” salaried worker, this book is for you. It con-

tains important information that your prospective,

current, or former employer does not want you to

know, including the basics of your rights and ob-

ligations in the workplace, as well as practical tips

on how to level the playing field regarding issues

that arise every day on the job.

Your job is likely one of the three most im-

portant aspects of your life, along with your fam-

ily and your religion, in whatever order of priority

you choose. Despite the central importance of

one’s job, most people don’t fully understand the

rules that define their employment or know what

to do when the relationship with their employer

sours.

All too often, employees who have questions

about their rights at work rely on their not-so-

well-intentioned bosses, or on well-meaning

but misinformed coworkers, friends, and family

members. For a variety of reasons, not the least

of which is the complexity of employment law,

the information provided by these people cannot

often be trusted. In addition, when employees

search various HR websites for answers to their

employment questions, they usually become more

confused than they were to begin with. The dif-

ficulty in obtaining clear, reliable information

leaves employees with many questions, such as

the following:

• Do I have any rights in the workplace even

if I am told I am “employed at will”?

• What should I do when I receive a warning

or a poor performance evaluation that I be-

lieve to be unfair?

• Can my boss fire me without any warning?

• Can an employer require me to disclose my

social media passwords?

• Am I entitled to overtime pay even if I am

paid a salary?

• If I quit or am fired due to no fault of my

own, can my current employer enforce the

noncompetition agreement I signed when

I was hired?

• What forms of discrimination are

unlawful?

Introduction