Press Releases

EAGAN, Minn., Oct. 20, 2004 -- Is it legal for a job interviewer to ask if I'm married? Can my employer require a lie detector test? What do I do if I feel I've been discriminated against?

Your rights as an employee can help protect you against discrimination, unfair hiring and firing practices, and ensure you're being properly compensated for your work. But understanding and exercising your legal rights as an employee can often be complicated and frustrating.

The new Employee Rights Center on FindLaw.com (http://employment.findlaw.com) is the premier one-stop legal resource to help employees understand their rights and obtain legal help. The Center contains articles, state-specific resources and access to employment lawyers through an intuitive user interface that helps FindLaw.com users easily find the information or assistance they need. The information covers common workplace issues, including wages, benefits, job termination and discrimination. A recent FindLaw.com survey found that more than one in five Americans say they have experienced employment discrimination. Twenty-two percent of those surveyed said they had been unfairly denied a promotion or raise by an employer because of their gender, race, age, religion or disability.

"Employees often don't know when their rights are being violated," said Debbie Monroe, president and CEO of Thomson FindLaw. "And even if they do, it's not easy to find out what steps they should take. The Employee Rights Center on FindLaw.com helps employees understand their rights, the legal remedies available and how and when to contact an attorney for assistance."

The Employee Rights Center on FindLaw.com offers comprehensive, helpful and easy to understand information relevant to today's workforce, such as:

• The Hiring Process
  Inappropriate job interview questions, drug testing, employment contracts, etc.

• Wages & Benefits
  Minimum wage, overtime, health benefits, pensions

• Family & Medical Leave
  Employee rights under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act

• Discrimination & Harassment
  Sexual harassment and discrimination based on age, sex, disability, race, sexual orientation and religion

• Losing a Job
  Filing wrongful termination claims, severance pay, unemployment insurance, etc.

Other topics covered include independent contractors, privacy in the workplace, the rights of whistleblowers and workplace safety. The Center also provides easy access to relevant state and federal resources including labor laws and government agencies.

Additionally, the Employee Rights Center provides helpful tips for working with an attorney and easy access to West Legal Directory®, the Internet's largest directory of lawyers and law firms. West Legal Directory contains more than one million lawyers and legal professionals, and users can search by attorney or law firm name, practice specialty and location. The directory features profiles of lawyers and law firms, including details of their legal experience and expertise.