employee benefits

An arrangement in which a portion of an employee's income is paid at a later date than the date when it is earned. In most cases, the primary benefit is the tax deferral on the deferred income.

The hours and circumstances of an employee's job. An employer is generally responsible for actions an employee takes within the course of employment. An employee who is injured in the course of employment is generally entitled to workers' compensation.

When an employee quits a job because working conditions are so intolerable that a reasonable person in the same situation would quit. For purposes of a discrimination or harassment lawsuit, a constructive discharge is like any other tangible employment action.

A federal law that enables employees and their families to continue health care coverage under an employers group health plan even after they experience an event -- such as a layoff, termination, cut in hours, or divorce -- that would otherwise end their coverage. Employees and their families must pay the full premium, but they get to pay the employer-negotiated group rate, which is often less expensive than an individual rate. This continued coverage lasts for 18 to 36 months, depending on the event that made the employee eligible.

Payment for work performed or damages suffered (for example, in the form of workers' compensation benefits).

Sometimes used to refer to work that does not further the business of the employer, typically on a one-time or very sporadic basis. For example, someone who was hired for one day to clean the windows of a car showroom or a group that was hired for a few hours to unload new office furniture might be referred to as casual labor. Casual labor is not a legally recognized category, however: Workers performing casual labor are either independent contractors or employees, and the hiring company's legal and tax obligations to workers performing casual labor are the same as for other workers.

A benefit program in which employees choose from a menu of options, such as health coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, and so on.

An organized effort to damage a business by refusing to patronize it. The goal is attract attention to and influence the business's policies. Labor unions and their sympathizers have boycotted lettuce and grapes not picked by union farm workers, and civil rights activists have boycotted stores and restaurants that had "white only" hiring policies. The term is named for Captain Charles C. Boycott, a notorious land agent, whose neighbors ostracized him during Ireland's Land League rent wars in the 1880s. Boycotts are not illegal in themselves, unless there are threats or violence involved. (See also: secondary boycott)

An employment arrangement in which the employee may quit at any time, and the employer may fire the employee for any reason that is not illegal. For example, an employer may fire an at-will employee for poor performance, to cut costs, or because the employer simply doesn't like the employee, but may not fire an at-will employee for discriminatory reasons, to retaliate against the employee for reporting harassment, or because the employee exercised a legal right.

A federal law that prohibits discrimination against people with physical or mental disabilities in employment, public services, and places of public accommodation, such as restaurants, hotels, and theaters. The law also requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to allow employees with disabilities to do their jobs.