Wrongful Termination
Being fired unfairly? Handle yourself like a professional
Nobody enjoys being fired, but the whole experience is somehow vastly worse when you know you don't deserve it and believe it's nothing more than retaliation for exercising your rights as an employee. The important thing to do in this situation is to focus on your...
What do you do if you’re handed a performance improvement plan?
Performance improvement plans, or PIPs, are part of an employer's paper trail. PIPs are supposed to be tools that employers can use to address deficiencies in an employee's work. They're also supposed to be tools that help the employee understand exactly what he or...
Imminent danger and your right to refuse to work
For the most part, employers have a pretty broad prerogative to tell employees what work has to be completed at any given time -- and many jobs have an element of danger that has to be managed on a daily basis. It's impossible, for example, to work on a construction...
When you’re fired after developing health problems
What happens when you've developed a serious medical condition and your employer responds to the uncertainty in your life by terminating your position? Are you simply out of luck? Not necessarily. There are a number of laws that protect employees from wrongful...
Getting fired when you’re sick
When you're suffering from a medical condition that already makes you feel pretty miserable, there's nothing worse than an unsympathetic employer. But, can that employer fire you because your illness is affecting your attendance and your job performance? Maybe. Under...
Understanding constructive discharge
Have you ever heard someone say, "I was forced to quit," when talking about a job? If so, you may be hearing about a constructive discharge. A constructive discharge happens when an employer makes the job absolutely unbearable for an employee -- to the point that no...
How to tell if you’ve been wrongfully fired from your job
If you were suddenly fired, it can sometimes be difficult to tell whether your termination was just unfair or outright illegal. If it was illegal, you have the right to file a wrongful termination lawsuit. Here are some things you should know. 1. There are all sorts...
Seek legal advice if you believe you’ve been fired in retaliation
Can you legally refuse to work without being penalized for it? It depends. If a situation presents an obvious hazard but there's no clear risk of real physical harm or death, you should report the issue to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Keep...
Can they really fire you for that? Understand at-will employment
Do you have an employment contract? Are you a member of a union that has a collective bargaining agreement with your employer? Unless one of those things is true, you're probably what's known as an "at-will employee." That means that you -- and your employer -- are...
New Jersey and California wrongful termination suits linked
For Wells Fargo, the hits just keep coming. The banking giant used to have a fairly solid reputation for honesty in its financial dealings -- but allegations of illegal acts, scams against customers, retaliatory acts and wrongful termination have tarnished the...