| Fair Employment Practices | Employment discrimination based on protected characteristics, such as age (between 40 and 70) and disability, is illegal in Georgia. In addition, retaliation against a person for opposing unlawful discrimination, making a charge, or taking part in an investigation or hearing is prohibited by the Georgia Equal Employment for Persons with Disabilities Code, which applies to employers with 15 or more employees.
According to the Georgia equivalent Pay For Equal Work Act (EPEWA), an employer with ten or more employees must pay male and female employees equally for work that is performed under comparable working conditions and that requires an equivalent level of skill, effort, and responsibility. |
| Equal Pay | According to the EPEWA, employers are not required to pay both genders the same wage rate if payments are made under one of the following: a seniority system, a merit system, a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, or a differential based on any other factor besides gender. |
| Criminal Checks | According to Georgian law, an employer may consider a candidate's criminal history when hiring. |
| Drug Testing | Applicants must be informed of the testing requirement, correct collection and testing protocols must be followed, and the employer must cover all testing-related costs if pre-employment drug and alcohol testing is chosen. |
| E-Verify | A Georgia employer is required by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act (IIREA) to verify the work eligibility of new hires and rehires using the federal employment verification system (E-Verify). |
| Minimum Wage | The hourly minimum wage in Georgia is $5.15. Most businesses with yearly sales of over $40,000 and five or more employees are subject to the state statute.
If a worker needs to express breast milk during working hours, the employer must give them a fair-paid break and a private space. |
| Child Labor | Georgia's child labor regulations place limitations on the kind of jobs that children can hold as well as the hours and days that they can work. There are some jobs, industries, or places where minors between the ages of 12 and 16 are not allowed to work, including manufacturing, mills, and factories. |
| Health Care Continuation | For up to three months following the month coverage was discontinued, Georgia law requires companies with fewer than 20 workers to provide continuation coverage of health care. Unless the employee is terminated for cause, employers must offer continuation coverage to employees and their covered dependents whose coverage ends for any reason. |
| Payment of Wages | Cash or checks must be used to pay wages. If specific requirements are completed, wages may be paid by direct deposit or a payroll card account.
Non-exempt workers may receive their pay biweekly or twice a month at regular periods. |
| Leaves of Absence | Georgia has few laws governing employees' paid time off and leaves of absence. These laws mandate rest days, military leave, voting leave, and time off for jury and witness duty. |
| Weapons in the Workplace | According to Georgia law, an employer cannot condition employment on an agreement that forbids an employee from entering the parking lot if their vehicle contains a licensed firearm, nor can they search an employee's locked, privately owned car in the employer's parking lot. |
| Smoke-Free Workplace | Smoking is prohibited in enclosed spaces or workplaces under the Georgia Smokefree Air Act. An employer may designate smoking places that adhere to particular criteria and exclude some locations from the ban, such as outdoor areas. |
| Safe Driving Practices | All drivers are not permitted to use hand-held cell phones or other electronic devices due to the Hands-Free Georgia Act.
A commercial motor vehicle driver is also forbidden from using more than one button on a wireless telecommunications device to start or end a voice call, as well as reaching for a wireless telecommunications device or stand-alone electronic device while they are no longer seated in the driver's seat or adequately buckled up. |
| Final Pay | Employers can pay up to $2,500 in unpaid wages to deceased employees.
Georgia law grants immunity to employers who share information with a potential employer concerning a current or former employee's performance on the job, unethical behavior, or inability to perform job obligations.
Immunity may be revoked if the reference was given dishonestly, in violation of a nondisclosure agreement, or against the law. |
