Every state in the nation has employment and labor laws in place that are meant to strike a balance between protecting employees and not hampering business in the state. While many of these laws are similar across state lines, there are many specific and unique aspects of employment laws from one state to the next.

If you run a business in Georgia, it’s essential that you’re well-informed of the state’s main employment laws. Some of these laws might not apply to you, based on the type of business you run, how you employ workers and more.

That being said, it’s always a good idea to be up to date on all employment laws in Georgia.

Minimum Wage

Georgia has a unique minimum wage law, in that it is actually below what the federal minimum wage is. In Georgia, regular employees must earn at least $5.15 per hour, while the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

Essentially, this means that just about all workers in the state of Georgia must earn at least as much as the federal minimum wage.

There are some exceptions to this rule, including for businesses with less than $40,000 per year in sales, employers with five employees or fewer, tipped workers and minors.

Georgia follows the federal law regarding how much tipped workers such as waiters can make, which is $2.13 per hour. This is in place as long as the tips, when added to the hourly wages, add up to at least minimum wage.

Breaks

Employers in Georgia aren’t required to give workers breaks for meals or rest. Those that choose to do so, though, must provide them for pay as long as the breaks are between five and 20 minutes.

Any break that’s 30 minutes or longer don’t have to be paid, unless the employees are required to remain in their work area while they take their break.

Employers must provide employees who are breastfeeding paid breaks so they can express milk while they’re at work. They also have to be offered a private area that’s not the bathroom so they can pump milk.

Leave

Georgia law does not provide employees with paid leave. Only in some limited circumstances are employees allowed to take unpaid leave.

Employers that have at least 50 employees must allow their workers to take as many as 12 weeks of leave that’s unpaid each year for an illness, for major life events such as childbirth or adoption, or to care for family members who are injured or sick.

This is all covered under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, known as FMLA.

Private employers aren’t required to offer paid vacation or paid sick leave. If they do offer these benefits, though, they must stay in compliance with whatever their employment contracts state.

Safety

Like most employers in the U.S., Georgia businesses must comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. These are standards that are set to ensure people work in a safe environment.

The regulations cover potential physical, safety, chemical, dust, ergonomic and biological hazards, among other things. All Georgia businesses must have a Safety, Health and Injury & Illness Prevention Plan (IIP) in place, as well as written and displayed.

Georgia additionally has what’s called the Smokefree Air Act of 2005. This prohibits anyone from smoking in an area that’s enclosed and within a place of employment.

Harassment and Discrimination

Georgia employers are subject to federal anti-harassment and anti-discrimination laws. In addition, the state has passed a few other pieces of legislation in this regard.

Some of these laws prohibit discrimination against any person with a disability (Georgia Equal Employment for Persons with Disabilities Code of 1981), against anyone between 40 and 70 years old based on their age (Georgia General Age Discrimination Law of 1971), against people on the basis of their sex (Georgia Sex Discrimination in Employment Act of 1966) and against anyone based on their age, religion, race, nation origin, disability, sex or color (Georgia Fair Employment Practices Act of 1978).

Georgia doesn’t have any requirements on the book regarding sexual harassment training at private companies.

Understand Georgia Employment Law with Beckham Insurance Group’s Help

Navigating Georgia’s employment laws can be complicated and challenging for some employers. Whether your company only has a few employees or has hundreds, abiding by all local employment laws is vital if you want to avoid major litigation and potential fines.

When you partner with an employment expert such as Beckham Insurance Group, you can rest assured knowing you’re always in compliance with all of Georgia’s state employment laws. Our experts will ensure that your business complies with all the regulations that apply to your business, based on your specific situation.

For more information, please contact us at any time.