The job market has been difficult to navigate over the course of the past year for many people throughout the country, including in Florida. Some people have been working more than they ever have before – those in the healthcare fields, for example. But, some have suddenly found themselves out of work and are finding it difficult to get back into the workforce. The dynamics between employers and employees, which always seem to be shifting anyways, have changed in many job markets in America since early 2020.

Employment disputes

One thing that hasn’t changed is the protection employees have under federal and state laws when it comes to disputes with employers. Some employment law disputes are more common than others. For example, “wrongful termination” is an issue when an employer fires an employee for an illegal reason. Yes, in general, employers can fire employees for almost any reason – but that reason cannot be due to something like a person’s gender or race, for instance.

Another common employment law dispute occurs when employers fail to pay employees what they properly earn. These so-called “wage and hour” disputes can arise in many different types of situations, as when employers fail to pay overtime, fail to pay minimum wage or even when employers fail to pay out vacation time to employees.

These days, perhaps no other employment law issue is discussed more than discrimination. Discrimination based on race, religion, gender, disability and even age can occur in an employer-employee relationship. Employees who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in the workplace may have legal rights to potentially pursue a lawsuit.