Sometimes also called a “waiver” or a “waiver and release,” this is a contract that excuses one party from liability for particular acts or omissions, typically in exchange for a monetary payment or a reciprocal release from the other party or parties to the contract (or both)…

Returning an employee to the position the employee held prior to going out on leave or to being terminated…

Statement made to a prospective employer about a job applicant’s knowledge, skills, abilities, or past employment, usually provided by a former employer, professor, teacher, or other person with considerable familiarity with the applicant. This term can also refer not only to the statement made but also to the individual making the statement…

Any assistance, change, or adjustment to a workplace or a specific job that enables a qualified individual with a disability to perform that particular job…

When an employer makes an employment decision based on the race of an employee or job applicant, or adopts a policy that appears neutral on its face but disproportionately disadvantages members of a certain race. Race discrimination in employment is prohibited under federal law through Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and under similar state laws…

Very narrow legal claim by which an employer is found to have unlawfully terminated an employee for reasons that, while not specifically prohibited by any particular employment law, most reasonable individuals would find morally or ethically reprehensible…

Also referred to as “wrongful discharge,” a comprehensive term for any employment termination alleged to be unlawful for any myriad of reasons…

Intentionally violent acts perpetrated in the workplace, including but not limited to assaults and homicides, which can be committed by employees or individuals with no connection to the employer at all…

Also referred to as workers’ compensation insurance or simply workers’ comp, this is a state-regulated insurance program that provides compensation to employees who suffer work-related injury or illness. There is a federal workers’ comp program, as well, but it is only for the benefit of federal employees and certain other limited beneficiaries…

Federal law requiring employers to provide employees and other interested entities advance notice of an impending plant closing or mass layoff that will result in job loss for a specific number or percentage of employees…

Comprehensive term for employees who qualify for the administrative, executive, or professional exemption from overtime pay under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)…

Employee who reports an employer’s criminal or otherwise unlawful conduct to those outside the company, usually government authorities, officials, or regulators…

Sometimes also referred to as size discrimination, this type of discrimination occurs when an employer takes an adverse employment action against an employee or job applicant based on their weight…

Court order requiring an employer to withhold a specified amount of an employee’s compensation and send it to the individual or entity named in the order…

Compensation an employee receives in exchange for work performed. Wages may be paid through a variety of methods, including salary, hourly rate, piece rate, commissions, tips, or some combination of any of these methods…

Employment policy that requires an employee to be terminated for any violation of the policy whatsoever. Zero-tolerance policies are typically reserved for egregious conduct that the employer wants to emphasize is particularly unacceptable or inappropriate…

Agreement between an employer and an employee that, as a condition of employment, the employee would not join a labor union or would resign from membership in a labor union if already a member…

Time an employee takes off from work to vote in an election. Nearly every state, including Texas, prohibits employers from disciplining, terminating, or otherwise retaliating against an employee who takes voting leave…

Individual who donates their time to an organization by working without receiving or expecting to receive compensation. Under the federal FLSA, individuals who perform work for private, for-profit entities cannot be classified as volunteers and must be paid, usually as employees…

Basically, paid time off from work for an employee to spend however they please with no prerequisites to taking the time off (i.e., employee must be ill to use paid sick time, must meet requirements for leave under FMLA) other than any employer requirements of notice and approval…