Know your options
Know where you stand — before the meeting, not after.
Part of the HR you own — plain-language answers about what the law gives you: leave, accommodations, pay, and more.
Plain-English answers on what HR won't volunteer: layoffs, leave, severance, what's actually in your contract. When it counts, their HR works for them. This one's yours.
The problem
HR knows the rules. So should you.
Their lawyers know employment law cold. You've got search engines and word-of-mouth. The asymmetry isn't an accident — it's how the system stays tilted.
Most people learn about FMLA after they needed it. About accommodations after years of struggling quietly. About state protections after the moment those protections would have mattered.
You get the answer before you need it. Plain language. Yours when the moment comes.
What's inside
What we cover
- FMLA and medical leave
- Family and Medical Leave Act coverage, eligibility, and how to request leave.
- ADA and accommodations
- Disability rights, reasonable accommodations, and the interactive process with your employer.
- At-will employment
- What at-will actually means, exceptions, and protections that still apply.
- Wage and hour laws
- Overtime eligibility, meal breaks, final paychecks, and pay transparency.
- Anti-discrimination
- Protected classes, what constitutes discrimination, and how to file complaints.
- Severance and separation
- Negotiating severance, COBRA rights, and unemployment eligibility.
Playbooks
When life happens
Step-by-step playbooks for the moments that actually count. Not explainers — the move you make when the meeting's already on the calendar.
I need medical leave
Step-by-step guide for requesting FMLA or other leave.
I was put on a PIP
What to do, document, and watch for.
I am being laid off
Severance, unemployment, and next steps.
I need a workplace accommodation
How to request ADA accommodations.
Who this is for
Who this is for
Anyone navigating a workplace situation
Leave, accommodation, performance review, separation — the moments where not knowing costs you. Walk in informed.
Workers without HR support
Freelancers, contractors, small-company staff. No corporate infrastructure means no one's looking out for you but you.
People who want to be prepared
Build the knowledge before the moment, not during it. Crisis is the worst time to start reading.
Anyone who values informed professionalism
Knowing your rights isn't adversarial. It's professional literacy.
Before you act
Important notice
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Employment law varies by jurisdiction and situation. Consult a qualified employment attorney for advice specific to your circumstances. We review content quarterly, but laws change — always verify current requirements for your state and situation.
Questions
Questions
No. It's education, not representation. For advice on your situation, talk to a qualified employment attorney.
Reviewed quarterly. Tracked against legislative changes in major states. Every article shows when it was last looked at.
Federal protections plus state-specific content for California, New York, Texas, and other major jurisdictions. State variations are flagged.
Every article tells you when to bring in a professional. An expert network of vetted employment attorneys is in the works.
Get started
Know your rights. Protect your career.
The rules they already know — in language you can use when the moment shows up.
All guides
All Know Your Rights guides
Every guide in the library — free to read, no login required.
- Asking for a Promotion: Building the Case Before You Make the Ask
- Asking for a Raise Mid-Cycle: When It Works and How to Ask
- At-Will Employment Exceptions in California: Public Policy and Implied Contract
- At-Will Employment Exceptions in Illinois: Public Policy and Statutory Protections
- At-Will Employment Exceptions in Montana: The Only State That Is Not At-Will
- At-Will Employment Exceptions in New York: Public Policy, Implied Contract, and Strong Statutory Protections
- Ban-the-Box and Criminal History Laws: What Employers Can and Cannot Ask
- Cal-WARN: How California's Layoff Notice Law Goes Beyond Federal WARN
- Can You Be Fired During a PIP? What the Plan Does and Doesn't Change
- Credit Checks in Hiring: When Employers Can and Cannot Look at Your Credit
- Disclosing a Pregnancy at a Startup: Timing, Protections, and What to Ask For
- Drug Testing Employment Laws: Pre-Employment and Random Testing Rules
- Employee Monitoring and Privacy: What Your Employer Can and Cannot Watch
- Final Paycheck Rules in California: When You Are Owed and How to Collect
- Final Paycheck Rules in Florida: Default Federal Rules and What Matters Locally
- Final Paycheck Rules in Georgia: What the State Does and Does Not Require
- Final Paycheck Rules in Illinois: Next Regular Payday and Vacation as Wages
- Final Paycheck Rules in Massachusetts: Same-Day for Discharge and Strict Vacation Payout
- Final Paycheck Rules in New York: Timing, Deductions, and Vacation Payout
- Final Paycheck Rules in Texas: Six Calendar Days and What Counts as Wages
- Final Paycheck Rules in Washington: Next Payday and Strong Anti-Retaliation
- FMLA Leave Basics: Job-Protected Time Off, Explained
- How Much Severance Is Standard?
- How to Ask Your Manager for Feedback When None Is Coming
- Layoff First-Week Checklist: What to Do in the 7 Days After You Are Let Go
- Minor Employment Rules: Hours, Hazards, and Work Permits for Teen Workers
- Negotiating Severance During a Mass Layoff: What Is Different About Group Terminations
- Non-Compete Enforceability in California: Effectively Banned
- Non-Compete Enforceability in Massachusetts: Post-2018 Reform and Garden-Leave Pay
- Non-Compete Enforceability in Texas: Enforceable Within Reason
- Non-Compete Enforceability in Washington: Income Threshold and Strict Disclosure
- Performance Review Prep: Using STAR to Show Your Year
- PIP vs. Severance Offer: How to Weigh Riding It Out Against Taking the Exit
- Proving Constructive Discharge: When Quitting Counts as Being Fired
- PTO Payout at Termination in California: How the Earned-Wages Rule Generally Works
- PTO Payout at Termination in Colorado: 2020 Rule and the Forfeiture Ban
- PTO Payout at Termination in Illinois: Earned Wages Under the IWPCA
- PTO Payout at Termination in Louisiana: Accrued Vacation, Anti-Forfeiture, and Penalty Wages
- PTO Payout at Termination in Massachusetts: Vacation as Wages and the Wage Act
- PTO Payout at Termination in Montana: How the Vacation-as-Wages Rule Generally Works
- PTO Payout at Termination in Nebraska: How Earned Vacation Is Generally Treated
- PTO Payout at Termination in North Dakota: One of the Strongest Pay-on-Separation Rules
- PTO Payout at Termination in Rhode Island: The One-Year Service Rule and What It Generally Means
- Recognizing and Documenting Retaliation After an Internal Complaint
- Requesting a Religious Accommodation: Title VII Process and 2023 Standard Change
- Requesting an ADA Reasonable Accommodation: The Script and the Paper Trail
- Requesting FMLA Leave Without Disclosing Your Medical Details
- Responding to a PIP in Writing: The Acknowledgment Script
- Responding to a PIP: Your Rights When Performance Is Questioned
- Responding to an Unrealistic PIP Timeline: When the Goals Are Set to Fail
- Salary Negotiation at the Offer Stage: The Script That Actually Works
- Severance Agreements: What You Are Being Asked to Sign
- Severance Release Checklist: What to Verify Before You Sign
- Severance vs. Stay Bonus: How to Evaluate the Tradeoff
- Social Media Policies at Work: What Employers Can Restrict and What They Cannot
- The Exit Interview: What to Say (and What to Keep Off the Record)
- The Manager 1:1 Agenda That Actually Builds Career Capital
- Tip Pooling Rules: What Employers Can and Cannot Do With Your Tips
- Wage Theft and Overtime Misclassification: How to Recognize and Recover
- WARN Act and Mass Layoffs: What 60-Day Notice Actually Requires
- What to Document During a PIP: The Paper Trail That Protects You
- Whistleblower Retaliation Protections: Federal and State Laws