- Be careful if you wear a "funny" hat to work in New Zealand, as your boss might not be laughing...
Imagine going to work one day and being told you have to go to dieting classes to lose weight. That’s a reality for some people in Japan. While that kind of law would never pass in the United States, there are equally interesting and curious laws across the world.
Most people know about the common-sense laws. For instance, in the US, the California labor code requires employers to provide meal and rest breaks to employees.
“If you’re a non-exempt California employee, you have a right to at least one 30-minute meal break and two 10-minute rest breaks each 8-hour workday,” says Los Angeles employment lawyer Eric A. Panitz. “If they don’t, they must compensate you for missed rest and meal breaks.” This is one law that makes good sense.
However, here are some of the more curious employment laws you’ll find in various places around the world.
- Kentucky protects smokers
Discrimination happens for all kinds of reasons, including smoking status. Smoking is generally seen as a bad habit and some business owners have discriminated against employees for being smokers.
Many employers have employment rules where smokers must smoke a certain distance from the building and wash their hands before returning to work. Some employers actually refuse to hire smokers and/or fire people who smoke.
To prevent this type of discrimination, title XVII of the Kentucky Revised Statutes explicitly prohibits discrimination against smokers. Although discrimination is illegal, the statute allows for different health plan contribution rates depending on smoking status. Providing this exception makes sense considering smoking affects a person’s health status.
- You can be fired in the U.S. for wage garnishments
There aren’t many strange employment laws in the United States, but there are a few. One of them happens to be that it’s legal for an employer to fire an employee if their earnings are being garnished for two separate debts.
However, an employee can’t be fired if their earnings are being garnished for just one debt. This is strictly prohibited by the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) under Title 15 of the U.S. Code §1674.
- Portugal employees cannot be fired
In Portugal, it’s not possible to fire an employee. If an employer wants an employee to leave the company, they have to offer them an enticing resignation package, plead with them to leave, and hope they actually quit.
This sounds like it would be a dream for some people. Although, there’s no telling what kind of pay you’ll get, nor what kind of working conditions you’ll be subject to. Your job might be protected, but you may not like the job.
- Germany protects workers from being exploited
Many people have experienced being called into work after hours, being asked to work past closing time for free, or just being bothered on their days off. This is a common occurrence in some places, but it’s illegal for those hired by Germany’s Labour Ministry. Anyone working for Germany’s Labour Ministry can only work from 9am-5pm and employers can only contact employees after hours for an emergency.
- Funny hats in New Zealand can get your pay docked
In New Zealand, if you wear a funny hat to work that breaks the uniform dress code, your employer can dock your pay by 10%. What kind of hat is considered to be outside of the dress code is up to employers. It could be any kind of hat if hats are banned.
- You can’t get fired in India without governmental permission
With the exception of employees found guilty of criminal misconduct, employees in India can’t be fired without permission from the government. This law dates way back to when India was under British rule and it hasn’t been updated to reflect contemporary employment standards.
- Performance evaluations can be defamation in Virginia
Almost everyone has experienced a performance review at a job. Performance evaluations usually come at the end of a probation period or after a set period of time, like every 90 days.
Although a performance review can be nerve-wracking to an employee, they can also be inaccurate. Not everyone involved in writing a performance review actually works with the employee, and in Virginia, writing an intentionally malicious evaluation can turn into a defamation lawsuit.
In Virginia, a legal precedent makes malicious performance reviews a viable foundation for a defamation claim.
- Height and weight are protected in Michigan
There are already laws that prevent discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion, color national origin, and marital status. However, in Michigan, employers can’t discriminate against employees based on weight or height.
What will be the next odd employment law?
These are just some of the interesting and odd employment laws on the books around the world, and there are sure to be more from time to time. Hopefully, you don’t have to worry about any odd employment laws affecting you and can enjoy this list as pure entertainment.