| Fair Employment Practices | Employers are not allowed to discriminate based on protected characteristics, such as race, color, religion, national origin, handicap, age, gender, or genetic information, according to the Oklahoma Anti-Discrimination Act (OADA).
The OADA forbids harassment and retaliation and applies to employers with one or more employees. |
| Equal Pay | Unless the payment is based on a seniority system, a merit system, a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production, or other factors other than gender, Oklahoma employers are not allowed to pay female employees less than the rate at which male employees are paid for comparable work on jobs that have similar requirements relating to skill, effort, and responsibility. |
| Criminal Checks | Employers can obtain specific state criminal records, including information on convictions and exoneration, for any reason, including job screening, under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. |
| Drug Testing | Employers in Oklahoma are permitted to request drug and alcohol testing of job applicants under the Standards for Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Act, but only after issuing a conditional job offer. The employer must pay for the tests and adhere to the rules established by the state board of health. If a candidate refuses to take a test or tests positive, an employer may take adverse employment action against them. |
| Minimum Wage | The Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act requires employers to pay nonexempt workers at least the federal minimum wage. Only businesses with at least ten full-time employees and yearly revenue above $100,000 are covered by the law. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labour Standards Act are exempt from it. |
| Child Labor | Underground mines and businesses that sell or serve low-point beer for consumption on-site are off-limits to minors under the age of 18 (unless a parent owns them).
Employment in communications and public utilities, construction, including demolition and repair, manufacturing, mining, or processing, operation of hoisting apparatus or power-driven machinery, operation of, or service as helpers on, motor vehicles, public messenger services, rail, highway, air, water, pipeline, and other types of work are generally prohibited for those under the age of 16. |
| Pay Frequency | Nonexempt workers must be paid by their employers at least twice monthly on predetermined paydays. Exempt employees may get monthly pay. |
| Wage Deductions | The cost of compulsory medical checkups or company-provided training cannot be deducted from an employee's pay by the employer. For legitimate reasons, such as the repayment of a company loan, advance or overpayment of wages, payment for goods or uniforms, payment for benefits or insurance premiums, investment plans, or pay for breakages or a cash shortage if the employee was the only one at fault, an employer must obtain the employee's written consent. |
| Health Care Continuation | Employers are subject to Oklahoma's health care continuous coverage statute. The law grants former employees the option to purchase two different types of continued health insurance: full coverage for up to 63 days if coverage is terminated for any reason other than the employee's gross misconduct or termination of the group policy; or limited coverage for up to three months for basic coverage or up to six months for primary medical coverage if the employee was covered under the group health plan for at least six months and was term; or coverage for up to 12 months for all other types of coverage. |
| Leaves of Absence | Oklahoma has a few rules for all employees with paid time off and leaves of absence. These laws mandate rest days, military leave, voting leave, jury duty leave, and voting leave. |
| Smoke-Free Workplace | Smoking is not permitted in indoor workplaces in Oklahoma. Marijuana smoking and vaping are both prohibited practices. An employer must display the necessary signage. |
| Safe Driving Practices | Driving while texting is not permitted in Oklahoma. |
| Weapons in the Workplace | Employers in Oklahoma may restrict, ban, or limit the use of weapons, including firearms, on the job. However, under Oklahoma law, employees are generally allowed to transport and store a gun in a locked car in a corporate parking lot. |
| Final Pay | The employer must pay final earnings through its standard pay channels or, if the worker asks, by certified letter with a postmark on or before the following standard payday.
In addition, an employer may pay the designated beneficiary of a deceased employee's wages up to $3,000. In the absence of a chosen beneficiary, pay may be distributed to the employee's surviving spouse or, in the absence of a surviving spouse, dependent children. |
