Labor law is legislation specifying responsibilities and rights in employment, particularly the

responsibilities of the employer and the rights of the employee. Laws differ among
jurisdictions; this definition pertains to labor law within the United States.

Protection of employee rights begins with fair hiring practices. By law, an employer cannot
conduct a background or credit check on an applicant without their written permission. It is
also illegal for an employer to discriminate against an applicant because of their age, race,
religion or country of origin. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
employers cannot discriminate against a prospective employee with any disability unless it
renders them incapable of performing tasks related to the position.

Employees have the right to privacy of their possessions on the job, as well as phone
conversations and voicemail. However, communications conducted on corporately-owned
equipment may not be protected.

As the workforce has become more mobile and off-hours communications more common,
some jurisdictions are also enacting or exploring right to disconnect legislation, which
prevents employers from penalizing workers for failing to respond to communications
outside of working hours.