Employment and Labor Law Terms

This section explains legal terms readers encounter in hiring, pay, workplace treatment, termination, and disputes between employers, employees, and contractors.

Planned cornerstone topics include at-will employment, wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, reasonable accommodation, non-compete agreement, independent contractor, overtime pay, wage theft, and retaliation.

For adjacent ideas about contracts, legal duties, and damages, start with Contract, Legal Duty, Liability, and Damages.

In this section

• At-Will Employment in U.S. Employment Law
  At-will employment means an employer or employee can usually end the relationship at any time unless a contract, statute, or public-policy rule limits that power.
• Employment Discrimination Under U.S. Law
  Employment discrimination means treating a worker or applicant adversely because of a legally protected characteristic or status.
• Harassment in the Workplace
  Harassment is unwelcome conduct that becomes legally actionable when it is severe or pervasive enough, or tied to employment decisions, under applicable law.
• Independent Contractor vs Employee Status
  An independent contractor is a worker who provides services outside an employer-employee relationship under the legal test that applies to the dispute.
• Non-Compete Agreement in Employment Contracts
  A non-compete agreement is a contract term that restricts a worker from competing with an employer after the relationship ends, subject to state-law limits.
• Overtime Pay Under U.S. Wage and Hour Law
  Overtime pay is additional compensation required for covered employees who work beyond the threshold set by applicable wage-and-hour law.
• Reasonable Accommodation in Employment Law
  A reasonable accommodation is an adjustment to job duties, policies, or the work environment that helps a qualified worker meet legal access requirements without undue hardship.
• Retaliation in Employment Law
  Retaliation is adverse action taken because a worker reported misconduct, opposed unlawful conduct, or exercised a protected legal right.
• Wage Theft in Employment Law
  Wage theft is the failure to pay workers the wages the law or a binding agreement requires, including overtime, minimum pay, or promised compensation.
• Wrongful Termination in Employment Law
  Wrongful termination is a firing that violates a contract, statute, or recognized public-policy limit on an employer's power to end employment.