What to Do If You Think You’ve Been Wrongfully Terminated

Alan Cleaver

During your working life, you can face many trials and tribulations. While you can enjoy significant parts of your career, you can also come up against hurdles that are challenging to overcome. One of the things that can occur is an unfair dismissal. Although you may feel like any instance when you lose your job isn’t fair, it is sometimes also seen as unfair in the eyes of the law. If you think you might have experienced an unfair dismissal, it’s not one of the those things you just have to put up with. You can fight your case and may be able to receive compensation. Use this short guide to working out what to do if you think you’ve been wrongfully terminated from your job.

Have You Been Wrongfully Terminated?

Before bringing your case to court, you should work out whether or not you were unfairly dismissed from your job. There can be a number of things that would make your dismissal illegal and give you grounds to challenge it. For example, you might have a written promise of job security from your employer or this same promise could be implied. Your employer might also have breached good faith or violated public policy. Working out if your dismissal was illegal can be complicated, but there are useful resources you can read. If you’re not sure, talk to a lawyer.

Hiring a Lawyer

If you’re reasonably certain that you were unfairly fired from your job, you should look at contacting an attorney. You should find an employment law specialist to talk to right away before you take any official steps to file a lawsuit. Looking for a lawyer can seem difficult, but it’s much like hiring someone for any professional service. You can still find attorneys in directories. You can check their qualifications and experience, and read reviews and recommendations for their work. You can compare them like you would any other product or service. Make sure you speak to a lawyer before hiring them and try to talk to a few so you know what to look for.

Necessary Documents

Getting all your paperwork in order will help you immensely when you want to file a lawsuit. Even if you don’t believe your termination was illegal, it’s still a good idea to keep the relevant documentation. You should even begin keeping track of everything before you lose your job if you sense that something might be wrong. You can keep things like performance reviews and comments on your work and behavior. Make sure to get a written explanation of your dismissal from your employer. In some states, they have to give you a service letter describing some aspects of your employment. You can also write a letter of understanding to your employer, laying out the reason for which you understand you were dismissed.

Your lawyer can help you with your case and will be able to use the evidence you gathered to form their arguments. If you think you have been wrongfully terminated, act quickly but give yourself time to calm down before you do anything.