Employee Responsibilities Under Federal Labor Law

Employee Responsibilities: What Workers Must Do to Support Labor Law Compliance (SwiftSDS Guide)

HR leaders and business owners often ask the same question: what are employee responsibilities, and how do they connect to federal labor law requirements? This guide breaks down worker responsibilities, explains how they fit alongside employee rights and responsibilities, and provides practical steps you can use in policies, training, and day-to-day supervision—especially in areas like wage and hour, safety, and anti-discrimination compliance.

For a broader overview of federal requirements, see SwiftSDS’s employment legislation list.

Employee rights and responsibilities: how they work together

A compliant workplace relies on both sides of the equation: employees’ rights and responsibilities. Employees have protected rights under laws enforced by agencies like the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). At the same time, employers may lawfully expect employees to perform core duties—like following safety rules, accurately reporting time worked, and cooperating with investigations—so long as expectations don’t infringe on protected rights.

If you need a quick baseline of protected rights, review 5 rights of workers and the deeper primer on the definition of workers rights.

Core responsibilities of an employee in the workplace (actionable checklist)

Below are common workers duties and responsibilities that directly support federal compliance programs. Use these as policy headings or training objectives.

1) Follow workplace policies and lawful instructions

Employees are generally responsible for:

Complying with lawful, non-discriminatory workplace rules (attendance, conduct, security, IT, confidentiality)
Performing assigned job tasks with reasonable care
Escalating unclear instructions before acting

Compliance tip: Ensure policies are consistently enforced to reduce discrimination and retaliation risk under federal EEO laws. If your team is refining EEO messaging, see as it pertains to employment opportunity the eeo strives to.

2) Accurately track and report all time worked (FLSA)

One of the most important worker responsibilities under wage-and-hour compliance is accurate timekeeping. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers must pay at least minimum wage and overtime (when applicable). While the employer bears the legal duty to keep records, employees should be required to:

Record all time worked (including pre-shift tasks, travel time when compensable, and remote work time as applicable)
Take meal/rest breaks according to policy—and report missed or interrupted breaks
Prohibit off-the-clock work and promptly report errors

Post and communicate wage-and-hour rights using the required notice: Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (also available in Spanish: Derechos de los Trabajadores Bajo la Ley de Normas Justas de Trabajo (FLSA)). If you employ public-sector or agriculture workers, use the applicable versions: State and Local Government FLSA notice and Agriculture FLSA notice.

3) What is the employee’s responsibility for health and safety? (OSHA)

A common compliance question is: what is the employees responsibility for health and safety? Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards (the “General Duty Clause”), but employees also play a key role in preventing injuries and incidents.

In practice, employees should be expected to:

Follow safety rules, training, and standard operating procedures
Use required PPE correctly
Report hazards, near-misses, injuries, and unsafe conditions promptly
Avoid disabling guards, bypassing lockout/tagout, or taking shortcuts
Participate in safety training and incident investigations honestly

Actionable policy language: Require immediate reporting of hazards and injuries, and define a “stop work” process when imminent danger is observed.

Location-specific note: Some safety notices are state-specific. For Massachusetts public employees, for example, see Massachusetts Workplace Safety and Health Protection for Public Employees.

4) Maintain respectful conduct; prevent harassment and discrimination (Title VII, ADA, ADEA)

A compliant culture depends on clear expectations that employees:

Treat coworkers and customers professionally
Refrain from harassment or discriminatory behavior
Participate in required training
Report harassment/discrimination through designated channels
Cooperate in investigations (truthfully and without retaliation)

Under federal EEO laws (e.g., Title VII, ADA, ADEA, and others), employers must address complaints and prevent retaliation. Employees should understand that reporting concerns is protected, and retaliating against someone who reports is prohibited.

For HR teams managing ADA processes, SwiftSDS resources can help you build consistent practices: ada hr and ada forms for employers.

5) Protect confidentiality and company information (without restricting protected activity)

Employees may be responsible for safeguarding:

Customer data and personal information
Trade secrets and internal business records
Security credentials and devices

Compliance caution: Policies must be written carefully so they don’t unlawfully chill protected concerted activity (for example, employees discussing wages or working conditions). Keep confidentiality rules targeted to legitimate business needs (privacy, trade secrets, investigations) rather than broad bans on workplace discussions.

6) Use leave and accommodation processes properly (FMLA/ADA)

Employees are generally responsible for:

Providing timely notice of the need for leave when practicable
Following call-in procedures (unless doing so is not feasible)
Providing required certifications when lawfully requested (e.g., FMLA medical certification)
Engaging in the ADA interactive process in good faith when requesting accommodations

If your workforce includes independent contractors, remember that eligibility rules differ; see are contractors eligible for fmla for related considerations.

How to document employee responsibilities (without creating legal risk)

To make responsibilities of an employee in the workplace enforceable and consistent:

Put expectations in writing
Include timekeeping, safety reporting, anti-harassment reporting, and cooperation standards in handbooks and job descriptions.
Train and retrain
Provide onboarding and annual refreshers. Track completion.
Use progressive discipline consistently
Apply standards uniformly; document coaching and corrective action.
Post required notices and make them accessible
Many federal and state laws require posting. For wage-and-hour, ensure the appropriate FLSA notice is displayed (see the links above). SwiftSDS’s broader compliance hub can guide poster requirements across laws and jurisdictions: employment legislation list.
Create safe reporting channels
Offer multiple reporting options (manager, HR, hotline). Reinforce non-retaliation.

State and local overlays: don’t forget jurisdiction-specific duties

While this page focuses on federal requirements, employee responsibilities often expand based on state rules (for example, temporary worker notices, wage statements, or specific safety postings).

If you operate in Massachusetts, align policies and postings with state requirements such as:

FAQ: employee responsibilities and compliance

What are employee responsibilities versus employee rights?

Employee rights are legal protections (e.g., minimum wage, anti-discrimination, protected reporting). Employee responsibilities are the expected behaviors and job duties that support safe, lawful operations (e.g., accurate timekeeping, following safety rules, reporting hazards). Your policies should address both—see 5 rights of workers for rights context.

Can an employee be disciplined for not following safety rules?

Yes—if the rule is lawful, communicated, trained, and consistently enforced. Document training, provide corrective coaching, and apply discipline uniformly. Employees should also be reminded they can report hazards without retaliation.

Is it the employee’s responsibility to ensure they’re paid correctly under the FLSA?

Legally, the employer is responsible for FLSA compliance, but employees should be required to report all hours worked and flag pay errors promptly. Posting the official notice helps reinforce this shared understanding: Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Next step: If you’re building a complete compliance program, start with SwiftSDS’s employment legislation list and then align your handbook language to the most relevant categories: wage-and-hour, workplace safety, EEO/ADA, and leave administration.