If you’re having a break after your seasonal job ended, you’re not alone. Millions of people in New Jersey have seasonal jobs in the big holiday rush. Many are in retail, but the end of the year can be big for fulfillment centers and construction jobs as well.
With the big rush and sometimes inadequate training, however, it’s also a season for many on-the-job injuries. If your job left you with an injury that makes it difficult or impossible to find a new one, you might be entitled to worker’s compensation – even if the job where you were hurt was temporary and already ended.
Employment law protects all workers
It is common for workers at seasonal or temporary jobs to feel that they aren’t entitled to the same compensation if they are injured on the job. That is simply wrong. All employees are covered by Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and are eligible for the same compensation.
This is true for everyone, including part-time and seasonal workers. It even applies if the job was temporary and the contract has already expired. If you are not able to find more work right away due to injuries that you sustained on the job, a worker’s compensation claim is perfectly valid.
Why so many injuries?
It’s not just the big rush at the holidays which creates so many injuries. When hiring a lot of employees at once, employers often fail to provide adequate training, particularly in areas of workplace safety. It’s hard to get so many people up to speed quickly without cutting a few corners.
That’s never an excuse. There’s no reason for you to think that you should have known better or it’s somehow your fault. If you were injured on the job, whether from a single incident or as a result of repetitive motions, you are entitled to compensation until you have healed enough to go back to work.
Taking care of your health
Workers’ compensation is about more than just making sure you have some income when you can’t work. If your health insurance is inadequate for the care that you need you are entitled to benefits.
What matters most is that you are back in shape to find a new job. You need to recover after any on-the-job injury, regardless of the circumstances or the job where you were hurt.
Staying sharp
If your job just ended and it seems like another one will be hard to find due to your injuries, it might be hard to enjoy your time off for the holidays. Worry isn’t going to help any situation no matter what. It’s important to know your rights.
There is a reason why every employer in New Jersey is required to have workers’ compensation insurance. It’s for times like these, and there is no shame in making use of it if you were injured on the job.