Your Rights in the Workplace (3rd ed) [Paperback]

Barbara Kate Repa (Author)

Book Description

Series: 3rd ed | Publication Date: November 1996

The most complete guide to workplace rights, this book is the handbook employees can look to every time they have a question or complaint about hiring, wages and hours, family and medical leave, unemployment and disability insurance, workers' compensation, job health and safety, discrimination, and much more. Includes the latest on HIV/AIDS, privacy rights, and the ADA.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An easy-to-use guide of employee legal rights, suggested strategies and resources." (Detroit News 20070501)

"Helps you decide whether to see a lawyer if you think you've been fired without cause, faced discrimination or harassment, or otherwise been treated unfairly." (BusinessWeek )

"This book is a great resource on workers' rights, covering everything from affirmative action to wrongful demotion." (Bob Rosner, syndicated columnist, New York Daily News ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Barbara Kate Repa is an attorney and expert on employment rights. She has been a guest on national radio and television including The Today Show, ABC News, NPR, CNBC, Court TV, KFI and KGO radio and has been quoted in a number of publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today and more. Author of Avoid Employee Lawsuits, Your Rights in the Workplace and Sexual Harassment on the Job, Ms. Repa is an author and editor at Nolo.com. She has 20 years of experience working as a legal journalist covering workplace issues, and more recently, as a consultant on workplace discrimination. She currently lives in San Francisco. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Nolo; 3rd edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873373464
• ISBN-13: 978-0873373463
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,581,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Employees' most valuable and complete guide: workplace laws, August 10, 2003

By 

Harinath Thummalapalli (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Your Rights in the Workplace, Sixth Edition (Paperback)

Even after working in Corporate America for several years as a manager, it wasn't until I started my own business that I started paying attention to employment laws. And then I was amazed at how little attention I had paid to my rights in the workplace when I was an employee! I now realize that I didn't know anything about my privacy rights, or when I was being illegally discriminated against or what to do if I got fired. Part of the reason was that I had been lucky enough to work for good employers (and especially great bosses) who were very fair and I never felt the need to understand my rights because they took care of protecting them proactively through their internal guidelines and implementation.

I realize now that everyone isn't as lucky when I started hearing the horror stories that some of my friends had to endure. If I had continued working for Corporate America (I started my own small business a few years back) I believe that eventually I would have encountered situations where I would need to know my workplace rights.

That's where this book comes in. It gives a fantastic overview of almost every law imaginable that could apply to you if you are an employee. It is a very detailed book with countless pages spent on comparing the laws as enforced in various states so you can find your own state law and see the details. A good example is the chapter on wages - there are tables comparing the rules for overtime, meal breaks, minimum wages, etc. for each state. In this chapter, I also found an interesting tidbit of information on meal and break periods. It describes the different situations under which your employer is required to pay for meal time!

The entire book is full of helpful and valuable information on your workplace rights. I personally believe that it is good to have this book handy even if you don't need it right now. It makes for interesting reading and you will feel more in control of your behavior at work and not as afraid of your lawful actions. Here's something else to think about - the book has information on the time period in which you can lodge a complaint against your employer after something unlawful has happened to you. Even if you decide not to do anything about something that has happened to you, at least you know the expiration date on your right to complain under the various circumstances!

This book also happens to be one of the more inexpensive books from Nolo. If you are new to Nolo books, you will quickly realize that they do a fantastic job of explaining the law in plain English. And they are very detailed. Enjoy!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Had it not been for this book, I would have been cheated..., July 25, 2004

By 

Dana A. Chrystall "Clueless" (Reno, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Your Rights in the Workplace, Sixth Edition (Paperback)

I'm a paralegal, you would think I would know these things. However, I was in a position where I knew I was being wronged, but would have to research and learn an entirely new form of law to make my case. This book had already done that for me. It has simple answers to complex questions; it is organized into a format which allows the reader to make educated decisions. I highly recommend this book whether you are in a situation now, or want to be prepared should you ever find yourself in a situation later.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Work Issues Made Very CLear!, September 27, 2010

By 

Lorenzo M. in the Hollywood CA Area "Movie Wa... (North Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Your Rights in the Workplace (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I was truly amazed at how little attention I had paid to my own rights in the workplace when I was an employee!.

It's still amazing on how myself as a manager and even as the employee were unaware of various and specific practices and procedures that need to happen in a safe and fair workplace. This book was amazingly eye-opening!

The plain-English resource every employer, manager and HR professional needs. Covering the new laws that affect every aspect of being an employer -- from interviewing and hiring, to handling employee benefits to firing. The most complete guide to your legal rights and responsibilities, The Employer's Legal Handbook shows you how to comply with the most recent workplace laws and regulations, run a safe and fair workplace and avoid lawsuits.

You can learn everything you need to know about: Hiring: Understand the legal guidelines for hiring employees, writing job descriptions, conducting interviews and investigating applicants. Smart personnel practices: What to include in employee personnel files, employee handbooks, performance reviews and references for former employees. Wages & hours: Comply with federal and state overtime and minimum wage requirements. Employee benefits: Learn the ins and outs of wage and hour laws, retirement plans and health insurance. Workplace health and safety: Comply with OSHA requirements, and implement policies on smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse. Discrimination: Prevent sexual harassment and discrimination based on age, race, pregnancy, sexual orientation and national origin. Termination and layoffs: Avoid wrongful termination cases, conduct a final meeting and protect your business information when employees leave. Laws affecting small business practices:

There is also everything you need to know about the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, health and safety issues, employee testing and more.

It gives an incredible overview of almost every law imaginable that could apply to you if you are an employee (and as employer). This book is a very easy read, well organized and easy references to look up information quickly.

True to their word - the NoLo books are extremely helpful as always. This is a must for your collection. 9-27-2010