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Colorado Employee Rights



Understanding Your Colorado Employee Rights

Every state differs not only in the kind of various employee rights, but also in the way they’re worded. So an in-depth look at what you may be dealing with regarding various employee rights is essential.

You’ll be looking at various employee rights like:

1. Minimum Wage
2. Fair Pay and Equal Pay
3. The Hiring Process
4. Drug Tests for Job Applicants
5. Discrimination Law
6. Wrongful Termination

The Lowdown on Various Employee Rights in Colorado – Drug Tests for Job Applicants, Discrimination, and Wrongful Termination

We’ll first start with minimum wage, which is crucial to understand for many reasons.

For one, you’re looking at three different kinds of minimum wage as far as Colorado employee rights go:

1. Federal Minimum Wage
2. State Minimum Wage
3. Tipped Minimum Wage

Currently, by Colorado employee rights and law, the federal minimum wage – the wage established by the U.S. government – is $7.25 an hour.

Now keep in mind that it’s different from the state minimum wage, which is $7.64 an hour.

In addition, you can expect the law to be clear on Colorado employee rights in terms of fair pay and equal pay. What is fair pay and equal pay?

1. Fair Pay and Equal Pay That Is Standard for the Job Description

2. Fair Pay and Equal Pay That Is Similar to Other Similar Positions Within the Company

An employee can actually legally do research on a specific field of work and find out what the typical pay is. If a job offers any less, by law that employee can petition for the higher amount, if necessary. In a way, that can be related to discrimination.

The same goes for equal pay, being other positions within the same company that operate under similar job descriptions. All employees have rights to this.

When it comes to a hiring process, Colorado employee rights allow for every employee the need for an interview and a reasonable chance at landing the job. It supports the law against discrimination and also in the long-term protects against wrongful termination. When it comes to the interview in the hiring process, the law in Colorado also mandates that certain questions can be asked and certain questions cannot be asked.

Questions that can be asked during the hiring process, permissible by those various employee rights, can include anything about:

1. Job History
2. Skills
3. Qualifications
4. References

No employer may try to ask any questions during the hiring process involving:

1. Race
2. Religion
3. Sexual Orientation
4. Lifestyle
5. Age
6. Ethnicity
7. Background
8. Disabilities or Illnesses

To do so would constitute a violation of privacy and rights, and may also constitute discrimination and wrongful termination.

However, drug tests for job applicants by law are permissible and don’t infringe on the protection against wrongful termination. Any employer can impose drug tests for job applicants in the state of Colorado. However, an employee can choose to refuse drug tests for job applicants but not proceed through the process of hiring.

Understand Your Rights

And be sure to consult with a qualified employment attorney if you do have more questions about your rights as a prospective employee. It keeps the job market, the employer-employee dynamic, the entire Corporate America, very just and worthwhile.

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