Medical leaves issued before full recovery, cases of workplace harassment, and difficulties exercising the right to work-life balance have become the three top legal concerns for workers in the United States.
According to industry analysts, in addition to these three issues there are other recurring worries such as layoffs, substantial changes to working conditions, and questions related to retirement, forming the six labor matters that currently generate the most concern among the public.
Medical leaves before a full recovery
Medical leaves issued by insurers or by the Social Security/Disability system when the employee believes they are not yet able to return to work are currently the most common inquiry among people who consult labor-law attorneys.
In this regard, the legal-tech sector notes that an increasing number of workers are being required to return to work before a complete recovery, which creates insecurity and fear of a potential relapse. Among the most common questions are how to challenge a medical leave or what steps to take with the employer once such leave has been issued.
A trend that was already reflected by the 2025 Legal Observatory, where inquiries related to Social Security benefits and disability insurance accounted for the largest share of labor-related inquiries, at 26.3% of the total.
In particular, issues tied to sick leave, its duration, and contesting medical leaves deemed premature by workers were highlighted.
Workplace harassment: how to respond and how to prove it
Workplace harassment is another area that has grown significantly in recent months. Affected workers often feel adrift and unprotected, especially because these behaviors are difficult to prove and can lead to serious mental health and even physical consequences.
Among the most frequent questions from people asking about this topic are how to document the situation, what evidence can be gathered, and what is the most appropriate legal process before filing a formal complaint.
Work-life balance and scheduling, including telework
Requests for scheduling flexibility to balance work and family life have risen notably in recent years and continue to generate a lot of uncertainty among workers. Many employees are unaware that, although it is a recognized right, an employer may deny it if there are organizational or productivity reasons.
In this context, one of the most commonly raised questions is the possibility of requesting telework as a work-life balance measure, regulated under standard employer policies and applicable laws. In this case, the questions most frequently raised are what the correct procedure is to request it, how the request should be framed, and what options exist if the company objects.
In line with this, the 2025 Legal Observatory already showed work-life balance rights or scheduling flexibility as the second most sought-after labor subtopic, accounting for 24.89% of inquiries in this area.
Layoffs and the new pre-hearing obligation
Dismissals remain one of the most common concerns among workers, especially during certain times of the year associated with sales campaigns or vacation periods. This was already reflected in the 2025 Legal Observatory, where inquiries related to layoffs accounted for 14.05% of the total within the labor field.
Added to this concern in recent months is the latest jurisprudence from the Supreme Court, which establishes the obligation to grant a pre-termination hearing to the worker before a disciplinary dismissal. As a result, among the most repeated questions is that many employees receive notices of the initiation of a disciplinary file without knowing how to respond or what consequences this may have.
Substantial changes to the conditions of employment
The company notes that inquiries related to unilateral changes in working conditions—such as hours, duties, or pay—are becoming more frequent. In many cases, these modifications are communicated with little notice, without following the legal procedure, or giving the worker the chance to terminate the contract with severance and access to unemployment benefits.
In this regard, some of the most common questions from clients are what steps they should take according to the procedure followed by the company and how they can assert their rights as employees.
Finally, retirement remains one of the topics that generate the most interest among citizens. Specifically, constant legislative reforms have left many workers with numerous questions about their future retirement: legal age, credited years of work, pension calculation, or eligibility for the minimum supplement when the benefit is below the minimum pension.
