I resigned, and now my hours are cut to nothing in the final week despite planning events. Rights?

You cannot get paid for this time unless you had a contractual right to payment. In other words, there is no law that would require the employer to keep you on as an employee after you gave notice, but perhaps you have a contract that requires this.

Employers always want employees to be considerate and provide notice, but then employers like yours turn around and penalize employees who give that notice. Unfortunately, employees have very few employment rights, and employers have a lot of leeway in how they choose to run their businesses. In general, an employer can be unfair, obnoxious or bad at management. An employer hires employees to provide work for its benefit, not for the benefit of the employees. Don't expect the employer to take care of its employees; it doesn’t have to and it rarely does.

Employment rights come from the state and federal legislatures. One of the best things people can do to improve their employment rights is vote for candidates with a good record on pro-employee, anti-corporate legislation. Another way to protect employment rights is to form or affiliate with a union, or participate in a union already in place.

I hope there is a good resolution to this situation.

posted by Marilynn Mika Spencer  |  Nov 3, 2016 6:47 PM [EST]