Sex Family Issues

Employment law is a vast area of law that covers issues such as discrimination in the workplace, wrongful termination, maternity leave, and union issues. One of the most common areas of employment law has to do with wage and hour issues. Fortunately, most people have jobs in which they are properly compensated for the hard work they perform; however, in some cases employees are underpaid, or sometimes not paid at all, for work they perform. Wage and hour laws vary by state, so if you feel you have a valid wage and hour claim against your employer, it is imperative that you find an experienced and knowledgeable employment attorney in the state in which you live. If you research this topic on your own, the information you find may not always apply to your state.

What is FLSA?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was established in 1938 to govern wage and hour issues such as the 40-hour work week, setting minimum wage, providing for overtime pay, and regulating child labor laws. State laws concerning minimum wage may vary and overtime pay will vary from employer to employer. Although employees for the same company may be paid different salaries or hourly wages based on their skills, education level, and seniority, pay differentiation cannot be based on sex, race, religion, age or sexual orientation. If your FLSA rights are violated, your employer may have to pay past wages due to you, damages, and attorneys’ fees.

The FLSA requires that most employers pay the state’s minimum wage and that overtime must be paid to certain workers who put in more than forty hours in one work week. Exceptions to FLSA requirements include, but are not limited to:

  • Salespeople
  • Executives
  • Salaried professionals
  • Small farm employees
  • Seamen
  • Interns
  • Apprentices

There are also certain employment-related activities that do not have to be compensated. Again, these vary in each state, but can include:

  • On-call time
  • Rest and meal breaks
  • Certain training programs (if attendance is voluntary and the training is not during normal work hours)

Is Fighting Normal To Married Couples?

Many people subscribe to the thinking that fighting is a normal part of any relationship. The existence of sayings that describe different types of “normal fighting” is proof in itself that we accept fighting as a part of life. Sibling rivalry, lover’s quarrels and family disputes are all the result of basic human nature. Assuming this to be true, you might say to yourself, “OK that may be true but where do I draw the line between normal fighting and irreconcilable differences?”

What is the difference between a fight and an argument? Can people really agree to disagree? In a perfect world maybe. For most people — couples in particular — agreeing to disagree can sometimes be a diplomatic way of describing a stand off.

There is hope though. By trying a few of the following basic strategies, you can deal with differences, hurt feelings and other common problems that often lead to fights. The first main ingredient for taking a new approach to old problems is agreeing to do so and agreeing on how to do so.

If you are in a relationship with a person you love, you aren’t ready to throw in the towel and you want to try something different, this advice is meant for you.

If you are involved in an abusive relationship or have simply had enough you probably need more than some basic advice.

I should say before I go much further that I am not a trained professional. I have worked as an Employment Counselor for the past 12 years and have a basic understanding of counseling principles. I rely to some extent on my personal experience as a 10 year veteran of marriage. I am also the kind of person who people have always liked to spill their guts to especially in times of trouble.

I suppose over the years I have learned more by listening than talking. In my opinion, these days, the art of skillful listening is very underrated.

The Need to Know

If we lived in a world the Beatles used to describe where “all you need is love,” we’d all be easier to get along with. In the real world we live in things are slightly more complicated. Spouses need ongoing reassurance that their needs are important and going to be met. Never mind the 80s way of thinking that human beings weren’t necessarily meant to be together in interdependent, relationships and all that matters is me. It hasn’t worked and we all know it.

Communication Is Always the Key

Communication is the key to understanding your spouse, partner, or significant other and to being understood. The first step to effective communication is listening. Letting someone know that you have heard what they said is vital. Usually after a fight people tend to be able to sort the issues out more clearly. That is because when we are experiencing anger, fear, or sadness, that’s all we can handle at the time.

We don’t hear what the other person has said. Have you ever had an argument with someone and then discussed it at a different time only to discover that neither of you can remember what it was you were fighting about? It is likely though that you can remember whether you were sad, angry or hurt.

It is difficult for most of us to separate our thoughts from our emotions especially when we are upset. Making that separation is a very important thing to be able to do. Usually both spouses have valid points and when you are in it together you always have to be prepared to compromise.

A general rule that’s good to use is talk only when you are both ready to listen. At the point that a discussion becomes heated, it is time to stop. Even 15 minutes of silence can do wonders. If both parties agree on this rule ahead of time, it is much easier to follow.

No Take Backs

If you sometimes say hurtful things and regret saying them later, you may be guilty of throwing the baby out with the bath water. This is to say that there is a huge difference between saying, “I hate you because of the stupid things you do” and “I’m really frustrated with some of the things you do. It makes me feel….” This last statement gets the message across and isn’t something you have to apologize for later.

Cooling Off Time

Try a cooling off time if arguments get heated. In my own experience, there have been so many times that if my husband had left me alone for a few minutes to collect myself, our arguments would have been toned down a few decibels.

Breaking Old Habits

It can be difficult to put some of these strategies into play because when we are upset or feeling vulnerable we sometimes protect ourselves with the same defense mechanism over and over again until it just becomes habit. People tend to act the same or say the same things every time they argue. How many times have you heard one spouse say to an other, “why do you always….”

An other aspect of difficulty in trying a new approach has to do with the fact that arguing is irrational and deciding to not participate in a potential argument the usual way is rational and most times, effective. Habits, especially old ones, are hard to break.

girlfriend |  boyfriend |  relations

How To Make Marriage Work Perfectly

Let me share to you one creative thinking. Do you know how to make a girl say YES on a proposal? No matter what kind of proposal you may have, girls love the thrill of what is unexpected. If you are trying to propose marriage to a girl, it is always important that you can stand the embarrassment of having it broadcasted to hundreds or even thousands of people be it standing with a megaphone and screaming out loud your proposal.

Sounds cheesy and girls love it. You can even do it online. On Facebook or any other site where it could be seen by all the girls friends and family. You could also learn a foreign language which you say to her a couple of days before the formal proposal. Drive her nuts and you’ll find her really eager, searching on the internet and asking her friends. Sometimes you have to use embellishments and not simply pop the question It happens once in a lifetime, make it worth reminiscing. Trust me, when situations get tough in your married life, there is at least one thing that could make you both smile as you reminisce. Something that could fix the troubles you may be having.

Another proposal idea is through paintball. Get an events coordinator or your most trusted friend to fix things with the paintball field manager, so as not to get caught. Make arrangements to rent the paintball field even for a few hours to make it more memorable. You can invite friends, secretly. And form two teams, of course, they have to be there earlier than you do, to get their acts together. Of course, it has to appear that you will be playing with strangers; anyway all of you will be wearing paintball Ghillie Suits she will not recognize anybody.

All those not participating in the game has to hide somewhere. Do not get caught or you might spoil the long-planned surprise. After the game, one by one each player would take turns to remove the Protective Suit, and Bride-to-be seems really puzzled seeing all those closest to her on the same paintball field. When all the players have changed, it is time for the non-players to appear, and lastly, the parents of the couple. That is when you pop the question. It is guaranteed that you will get a positive response and most likely it will be a tearful YES from the most important woman in your life. It could be really tough to prepare the main event but with the help of a paid professional events coordinator, it will all be perfect.

Proposals have to really be as special as the wedding day itself. Spending some money for the preparations wouldn’t hurt that much especially that you will have more happy memories to look back to. A woman’s yes has to be really important to her man and it must show. She deserves it; after all, you have chosen her to spend the rest of a lifetime with you.