A vast majority of American employees follow the at-will employment doctrine, which means either an employer or an employee has the right to terminate the employment relationship without cause in most situations. For example, an employer has the right to end the employment relationship if the employer needs to reduce payroll costs to stay financially afloat.
According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers cannot discriminate against workers based on several factors, including race, gender, religion, and national origin.
When you lose a job because of an act of wrongful termination, you may be eligible for compensation. If you are a victim of wrongful termination, you should follow a few steps to hold your employer accountable for breaking one or more state and/or federal employment laws.
Wrongful termination takes place when an employer fires an employee for an illegal reason. The following are the most common reasons you may have been a victim of wrongful termination:
There are still many old myths about sexual harassment in the workplace. These rumors or myths can make it difficult for people to fully grasp what sexual harassment is and how someone can be affected or how they can be affected.
Here is a closer look at common myths about sexual harassment and how to proceed with a claim after falling victim to workplace sexual harassment.
What happens if an employee is sexually harassed by someone who is not a colleague, supervisor, or business owner? Third parties could be such as customers, clients, and even people who are making deliveries to where you work.
Any of these third parties can engage in sexual harassment against employees. Here is a closer look at third-party sexual harassment and how to respond to it. You do have rights and the law is on your side.
If you signed an employment contract and your employer fired you without just cause, you might have a case of wrongful termination. Most employment contracts stipulate conditions when an employer and a contracted worker can end the employment relationship.
A wrongful termination claim may be filed in court when an employee believes that he or she was unlawfully fired. You will need to provide supporting documentation and evidence to back up your claim. When file a wrongful termination claim, you can ask to be compensated for your losses, such as lost wages, lost benefits, mental anguish, and so forth. You need to keep evidence showing your losses, so you can determine the value of your settlement.
Depending on your situation, your employer may have to accommodate you when your pregnancy affects your ability to do your job. This is because the Pregnancy Disability Act (PDA) protects pregnant employees from discrimination. The employee is required to act in a way that allows the pregnant employee to undertake work related tasks.
Federal law prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on an employee’s national origin, which includes the person's ancestry, birthplace, culture, or surnames associated with a particular ethnicity. If the employee can provide sufficient evidence that discrimination has taken place based on any of these characteristics he or she may be able to file a claim for discrimination.
A Right to Sue letter gives you permission by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) to file a lawsuit in the federal court. When the EEOC issues you with a Right to Sue letter, it is stating that it has done everything possible to solve your discrimination claim and it believes you have a chance to win if you file your own lawsuit for compensation.
