Make no mistake, employees get the short end of the stick. Unless you have a contract with your employer, you can be fired or demoted at any time, for any reason, or no reason at all. Your employer doesn’t have to give you any notice, either. This is known as “At-Will Employment.” Most workers in California are at-will employees.
An important exception to the above rule is that your employer can’t make employment decisions based on your gender, race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation. Federal and state laws protect an employee from such discrimination. Discrimination can also take the form of harassment. When co-workers or a supervisor creates a hostile work environment based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or nationality, this is also illegal. Federal and state law also protects an employee from this kind of discrimination. In addition, an employer cannot retaliate against you for reporting discrimination or harassment.
Occasionally, an employer will decide he doesn’t want to pay you what he owes you. This can take the form of paying less than the minimum wage, or refusing to pay overtime. State and federal laws require employers to pay at least minimum wage, and at least time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40 in a week. Employers often argue that a particular employee is paid by “salary” and not hourly. Most jobs must be paid hourly by law. Only certain categories of “exempt” employees can be paid a flat salary.