There are a number of ways that a boss can retaliate against an employee that does something they don’t like. Or, that they have a bias against in some way. For instance, changing the schedule to one that they know will be burdensome is one way. Another is that they can pass you over continuously for promotions and raises. The most egregious is wrongful termination.
This is commonly referred to as being fired for no reason. Many people in states that have an “at-will” system can find themselves fired for the flimsiest of reasons. However, there are times when you can be wrongfully terminated and should talk to an unfair dismissal professional to help get damages or your job back. In this article, we will go over the signs that you have been wrongly fired so you can then get help.
1 – You belong to a protected class
There are certain people that have an extra level of protection at work so they can’t be fired for being who and what they are. They belong to a protected class due to them being minorities, women, disabled, LGBT, and other statuses that make them vulnerable. There are, unfortunately, many people that are biased against these people and would rather not allow them to work any longer at their company.
They will often find a flimsy reason to fire somebody that belongs to this class. If you have recently gotten a new manager and suddenly start getting poor performance reviews when you previously only got good ones, and then are fired you are likely facing discrimination.
The manager that fired you will then have to justify that you were fired for a valid reason since you are protected from being fired even if it’s in an at-will state.
2 – Retaliation
There are a number of things that an employee can do at work to bring down the wrath of a manager or owner. Then, they feel justified in firing you but the reality is that it is illegal. This is a form of retaliation that you have rights to protect you.
For instance, it is perfectly legal to discuss your salary at work without facing any repercussions. Talking about pay is something that many managers don’t want since it can end up costing them more money if they have to suddenly give some people. If you were fired shortly after discussing your wages then this is a clear case of retaliation and wrongful termination.
3 – Breach of contract
When you have a contract that stipulates certain things then you have a reasonable expectation that those things will be regarded. One of them is the length of the term of your employment. It could be for a set number of years, or there may be some milestones that happen that determine how long you will work for a particular company.
If your contract is broken and you are fired during its term then you have one of the clearest cases of wrongful termination.
