You can lose your job for a variety of reasons, some legal and some illegal. If you’ve been terminated, it’s important to understand why and to focus your time on protecting your legal rights.
There are many forms of wrongful termination. If your employment was terminated in a manner that violates local, state or federal law, you’ll want to take action.
Here are some common examples of wrongful termination:
- Discrimination: There are a variety of laws in place to protect employees against termination as a result of gender, disability, age, national origin, sex, religion or race.
- Harassment: You may be able to file a wrongful termination claim as the result of harassment. For instance, this often happens if a supervisor makes an offensive comment about your gender, disability, age, national origin, sex, religion or race.
- Retaliation: Employers are not permitted to terminate an employee for participating in certain types of protected practices. An example would be reporting a safety violation to an outside agency, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
- Breach of contract: There are times when it’s possible for an employer to terminate an employee for violating a work contract. However, this is not always the case. For instance, you may have a verbal agreement in place with your employer, along with a written contract.
If you have any reason to believe you’re the victim of wrongful termination, don’t sit back and assume there’s nothing you can do. You have legal rights, and you need to protect them. Doing so can help you receive compensation or maybe even reinstatement (if you’re interested).