Essential Labor Laws to Know When Starting a Business

Every entrepreneur should be conversant with labor laws before bringing an employee on board. For instance, there are laws relating to workplace safety, human resource, marketing, owning intellectual properties among others. Knowing these laws and abiding by them is vital if you want to be at peace with relevant authorities. Getting in touch with legal experts or local authorities can help you learn some of these laws. That said, here are some labor laws to know when planning to start a business.

Working Hours

This is one among the many labor laws to know when setting up a business. Ideally, if you have hired employees, the law stipulates that they can work for 40- 48 hours in a week. However, if they are willing to work overtime, an employer must provide them with overtime as compensation for extra hours worked.

Work Health and Safety

This is also another essential labor law to bear in mind when planning to establish a business. Ideally, every business owner must ensure that the workplace is conducive. It is imperative for an employer to put safety policies and measures in place. For instance, in dangerous workplaces, employees should have appropriate safety gears. More to this, if the business has some machines, there should be clear rules about their use and safety and only qualified personnel operating them.

Workers Compensation

Work-related injuries are inevitable. You may have all safety measures in place and ensure they are adhered to, but this does not eliminate the chances of having accidents. In case an employee gets injured while at work, the employer has to bear liability especially if the misfortune is purely accidental. Labor laws stipulate that work-related an employer should compensate injuries. As such, it is essential to know what your country labor laws state about workers compensation.

Wages and Overtime Compensation

Every employer or business owner should know the current wage rates. For instance, he or she ought to know of the minimum wage rate and the amounts payable to employees in different job groups. In regards to overtime, an employer needs to know the recommended overtime compensation.

These are among some fundamental labor laws that every employer should know and understand. With a good understanding of these laws, you can be sure of running your business smoothly. Besides, knowing these laws and applying them will minimize the chances of being at loggerheads with your employees and your government.