Greenville Employment Attorneys

Employment laws in North Carolina cover a wide variety of situations. Employment attorneys handle cases for regular employees, professionals, and executives for numerous situations, including:

• Sexual harassment. Sexual harassment in the workplace is prohibited by North Carolina and federal laws. Employers must be proactive in keeping a harassment-free environment and training workers in harassment laws. Seek an employment attorney’s advice before resigning or reporting incidents. These complex situations can result in backlash. Workers who quit can lose some legal rights.
• Gender discrimination. This type of prejudice includes treating employees differently because of their gender. It can take place through direct actions like hiring or firing, unfair workplace policies, or a hostile environment.
• Race and national origin discrimination. Both can occur in instances similar to gender discrimination.
• Age discrimination. These types of claims are common. Those over 40 are protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Determining if age prejudice occurred can be difficult. A skilled attorney can help decide whether or not you have a case.
• Religious discrimination. Federal and North Carolina laws protect religious activities, harassment, and unfair grooming or dress requirements. Employees are owed reasonable compromise of religious practices.
• Pregnancy. Prejudice claims for pregnant employees are guided under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act. This act protects expectant mothers who work through their pregnancies. Employers are required to provide reasonable expectations like reduced duties and temporary leave from work.
• Wage and hour claims. These may stem from a failure to pay wages or not compensating workers for overtime. It can also include mislabeling employees and violating minimum wage laws. Employees may be mislabeled as independent contractors or interns. This wrong label may mean they don’t receive proper wages and benefits. Other examples may include illegal practices around commissions and tips. Wage and hourly claims can result in class and collective legal action for groups of employees.
• Whistleblower claims. Whistleblowers take personal risks and put a lot of effort into making their claims. They may be eligible for compensation and regain their employment.
• Workplace revenge. These cases include acts against employees who file complaints or exercise their rights. These activities are protected by state and federal regulations. Revenge can take many forms, ranging from firing to harassment to demotion.
• Noncompete agreements and trade secret agreements. Either of these can lead to legal issues and limit where employees can work. Employment attorneys can handle issues with an employer who feels you violated an agreement. They can also help review, negotiate, and draft such agreements to help prevent issues down the road. Such contracts are legally binding and are upheld if they reasonably protect the business. They can restrict where an employee works, prevent poaching of clients, and protect confidential information.
• Severance and other employment agreements. Agreements that have legal implications include contracts, noncompete agreements, and severance agreements.