There are many ways that a wrongful termination can happen. Sometimes, it’s out of retaliation for the employee’s complaint about sexual harassment or discrimination. Sometimes, it happens because the employee was a whistleblower or refused to engage in illegal behavior. In still other cases, the wrongful termination might happen in violation of an employment contract. However it happens in your case, it’s important that you take immediate action.
Here’s what you can do in response to a wrongful termination:
- Talk to the human resources department at your job to determine what benefits you can receive, the exact reason for your termination and if you can appeal the decision to fire you.
- Get in touch with an employment law attorney and/or the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate the laws that regulate employment and termination of employment.
- Determine if you have been discriminated against on the basis of a protected status or if your termination was in retaliation for complaining about sexual harassment, whistleblowing, discrimination or for participating in an investigation against your company.
- File a claim for wrongful termination through the appropriate state agency or through the federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC).
- Determine if you are eligible for unemployment compensation and don’t hesitate to apply for this vital financial assistance.
As a law-abiding worker in the United States, you are protected by inherent employment rights, and the unjust loss of your source of income is not something that you should have to endure. If you’ve wrongfully lost your job, you may want to consider pursuing a claim for justice in court.
