Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Employment law is a set of rules that govern the relationship between employers and employees. It includes many federal and state laws that protect workers from discrimination and ensure they receive fair pay and benefits. Some important areas of employment law include preventing discrimination based on things like race and age, providing unemployment benefits to workers who lose their jobs, and offering pensions to retired employees.
Employment refers to the relationship between an employer and an employee. Employment law covers all aspects of this relationship, including federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions. The purpose of employment law is to protect workers and ensure fair treatment in the workplace.
Employment discrimination laws prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on characteristics such as race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, physical disability, and age. Discriminatory practices include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, compensation, retaliation, and various types of harassment.
An employer refuses to hire a qualified candidate because of their religion. This is an example of employment discrimination.
Unemployment insurance provides workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own with monetary payments for a given period of time or until they find a new job.
An employee is laid off due to a company downsizing. They apply for unemployment compensation to help cover their expenses while they search for a new job.
Upon retirement, many workers continue to receive monetary compensation from their employer in the form of a pension. There are two main types of pensions: defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans.
An employee works for a company for 30 years and then retires. They receive a monthly pension payment based on their length of employment and the wages they earned. This is an example of a defined benefit plan.
Another employee works for a company for 10 years and then retires. During their employment, the employer made regular deposits into an account established for the employee. The employee is not guaranteed a specific amount during retirement but only the amount in the account. This is an example of a defined contribution plan.
Employer Identification Number (EIN) | Employment Authorization Document (EAD)