Equal Treatment

• Laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act protect employers from discrimination based on factors such as age, race, religion or sexual orientation. Often, this is applicable to the hiring process, but also applies to promotions, raises, project assignment and benefits. The idea is that all employees should have the right to be judged based purely on their performance, skills and knowledge, not on personality, physical attributes or personal preferences.
  
  

Loyalty and Respect

• To some degree, employers have to be able to count on the workers they hire. This is particularly true in closely networked departments or operations within the company. For this reason, employees should remain loyal and respectful to their employers. Examples of loyalty and respect include being on time consistently, reviewing work quality, not abusing resources and keeping company secrets. In return for this behavior and attitude, employees have the right to respect from the employer. This relationship is called mutual trust and confidence.
  
  

Authority

• Employees usually work under a master-servant relationship, which simply means that the employer has a recognized degree of authority over the employee. Even so, state and federal regulations make it illegal for an employer to abuse its authority. Employees who feel their employers are abusing them may report the unfair practice and, if necessary, sue their employers for appropriate compensation. The problem with this right, however, is determining exactly what constitutes abuse, as terms like "abuse" and "reasonable" are subject to cultural contexts.
  
  

Safety and Health

• A basic right of any worker is the protection of his physical and mental health. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, sets forth regulations to protect this right. This organization dictates the conditions under which any employee may work and instructs employers how to handle potentially hazardous materials or equipment. On the flip side of these regulations, employees are not supposed to engage in activity that would endanger the health or safety of anyone else on the work premises.
  
  

Compensation and Work Time

• The Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, guarantees that an employee should receive at least the state or federal minimum wage, whichever is higher, for the first 40 hours of work completed per week. An employee may receive one and a half times his normal pay rate for any hours worked over 40. These regulations do not apply to all employees, however. For instance, employers may pay students lower wages, and laws allow employers to pay less than the state or federal minimum wage if the employee receives tips significant enough to make up the difference between the minimum rate and the hourly pay. Exempt employees, typically salaried executive, administrative and professionals, are not eligible for overtime but must receive at least $455 a week, at the time of publication.