Fair Employment Practices | Employers with one or more employees are not permitted to discriminate based on protected characteristics, which include race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil union status, and status as a victim of domestic violence, under the Connecticut Fair Employment Practises Act (CFEPA).
The CFEPA forbids retribution against someone who opposes, reports, or helps another person resist unlawful discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics. |
Equal pay | An employer cannot discriminate against any employee based on gender under Connecticut's wage and hour regulations. |
Discussion of Wages | According to Connecticut's Act Concerning Pay Equity and Fairness, an employer cannot fire, discipline, discriminate against, retaliate against, or otherwise penalize an employee for asking a coworker about their pay or disclosing or discussing their own or a coworker's wages that have been disclosed voluntarily. |
Pregnancy Accommodation | The CFEPA requires a company with one or more employees to make reasonable accommodations for any employee or candidate who is pregnant, giving birth, or has a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. |
Access to Personnel Files | Employees may view their personnel files twice yearly under Connecticut's Personnel Files Act. The employer must grant access to present and former employees within seven and ten business days, respectively. |
Whistleblower Protections | According to Connecticut law, an employer cannot discipline or otherwise retaliate against an employee for disclosing a legal violation or suspicion of a legal violation on the employer's part or participating in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry into alleged legal violations. |
Criminal Checks | According to Connecticut law, employers are not allowed to reject job applicants or treat them differently in any other way because of a prior arrest, criminal charge, or conviction, even if the records have been sealed. |
Drug Testing | As long as the employer gives written notice of its intention to test, adopts a reliable testing methodology, and confirms any positive results using a trustworthy method, drug and alcohol testing is typically allowed under Connecticut law. |
Ban the Box | On a job application, Connecticut companies are not permitted to inquire about a candidate's prior arrests, charges, or convictions. There are a few exceptions, such as when a security bond is required for the position, or a criminal background check is mandated by federal or state law. |
Minimum Wage | The minimum wage in Connecticut is higher than the federal government's, which is $14.00 per hour, with certain exceptions. |
Meal Breaks | According to Connecticut law, employers must give workers who clock in at least seven and a half hours in a row an uninterrupted 30-minute unpaid meal period. |
Child Labor | Minors under 16 are also barred from working in several other sectors, including manufacturing and the food service industry, and all minors are prohibited from working in hazardous occupations. In addition, numerous occupations, including office work and agriculture, are listed in child labor regulations as actively permissible for minors.
Connecticut also has a complicated series of laws governing the hours that minors can work. These regulations vary according to the minor's age and the employer's sector, with different working time limits established for 14- and 15-year-olds and for 16- and 17-year-olds. |
Pay Frequency | Employees must be paid weekly or biweekly on the regular paydays that the company has determined in advance. |
Health Care Continuation | Under Connecticut COBRA, an employer is required to provide an employee and any covered dependents who lose coverage as a result of certain qualifying events, such as layoff, reduction in hours, leave of absence, or termination of employment, with a continuation of health insurance coverage for up to 30 months. |
Family and Medical Leave | Employers must offer eligible workers 12 workweeks of job-protected leave for qualified reasons throughout 12 months under the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CTFMLA). |
Connecticut offers advantages for paid family leave. A Connecticut employer must abide by additional leave and time off laws, such as pregnancy disabilities, crime victims, domestic violence victims, jury duty, legislative leave, elected official leave, voting leave, military leave, civil Air Patrol leave, and emergency responders. | Smoke-Free Workplace | A Connecticut employer must outlaw smoking, the use of electronic nicotine and cannabis delivery devices, and the use of vapor products in all areas of any commercial facility. |
Safe Driving Practices | All handheld cell phone use while driving, including texting, is forbidden in Connecticut. |
Final Pay | Wages are owed the following business day if an employee is fired or the next regular payday if an employee is laid off, leaves their job, or is suspended due to a labor dispute. |