Career Building • Mercer County, WV • 4 / 4

Your Rights at Work and Your 90-Day Plan • Mercer County, WV

Know your pay, your workplace rights, and how to start a new job strongly.

Your Rights at Work

• Overtime: If you have a job that pays an hourly wage, and you work over 40 hours per week, you must be paid 1.5 times your regular pay.
• Anti-discrimination: You cannot be treated poorly because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40+), disability, or military service. Title VII of the Voting Rights Act protects against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Other laws cover age, disability, and other protections. Know your rights.

• Gross pay: Total before taxes and other deductions (like health insurance).
• Deductions: Federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), state tax, health insurance, retirement.
• Net pay: What you actually take home. Gross pay minus deductions.
• Save your pay stubs. You might need them for loans, to verify work history, for applying to an apartment, and a number of other reasons.

• Try to separate your learning and responsibilities on the job to make sure you prepare yourself and are preparing yourself for growth within the company.
• Days 1-30 (learn the job), Days 31-60 (take on more), Days 61-90 (become valuable). Write it down and review it weekly. This strategy helps you succeed.

• Write a plan before you start the job. What will you learn? Who will you talk to? How will you stand out? Review it weekly.