What are the rights of an employee who is being laid off?
In Massachusetts, employees who are being laid off have various rights under employment law. Employees have the right to receive their wages in full even if they are laid off, as employers must pay out all wages and benefits due within six days of the individual’s last day of work. Depending on their length of service, employees may even be entitled to severance pay. Employees are also entitled to receive a termination notice that includes the date of the termination and the reason for the termination. This notice should also include the employee’s rights to continued medical and dental coverage, including COBRA, which allows the employee to continue to have health insurance through their employer. Employees have certain rights to unemployment benefits if they are laid off. To be eligible for unemployment benefits, employees must meet certain criteria, including being available and willing to work and being actively looking for a job. Finally, employees have the right to review their own personnel records in order to ensure accuracy. This includes reviewing information concerning the reason for termination and any performance evaluations or reviews. Employees also have the right to file a discrimination claim if they feel they were wrongfully terminated for reasons such as age, gender, or race.
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