Have you been recently fired for reporting your boss to an official agency like OSHA, the health department, the FDA, or the EEOC? If your boss fired you for filing a complaint, a report, or even just making a phone call to a regulatory agency, that’s considered wrongful termination and you might have a lawsuit against them.
Getting fired can be a jarring experience, so here are some tips to handle the situation to reduce your stress and increase your chances of getting compensated for your troubles.
1. Talk to a wrongful termination lawyer
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The first thing you need to do is contact a wrongful termination attorney to discuss your situation. If you have a good case against your employer, you should consider filing a lawsuit.
By filing a wrongful termination lawsuit, you’ll accomplish several things:
· Your boss will know you aren’t going to take the heat for their failings.
· You have a chance at recovering generous compensation for your troubles.
· If you win your case, you could get punitive damages, which will increase the total amount of money you receive.
· Your lawsuit could make other workers feel comfortable coming forward.
· Your employer might be forced to change policies to make the workplace better for everyone.
Aside from monetary compensation, there are many good reasons to file a lawsuit when you’ve been illegally discharged. For instance, a lawsuit will make you feel like you’ve stood up for yourself.
This is something you should at least consider, especially if your boss’s actions were exceptionally egregious.
2. Don’t try to work things out
Working things out with a former employer who fired you for doing the right thing is not going to go well. You probably won’t be able to work things out so it’s best to just walk away.
Some circumstances are worse than others. For instance, if you were sexually harassed and your boss let it happen, you probably won’t get far trying to work things out. This type of communication requires each person to acknowledge their part in the matter, and bosses who allow people to be abused at work are not the type to take responsibility.
Do your best to move on and if you’re pursuing a lawsuit, keep your focus there. It’s not worth wasting your energy trying to make things right.
3. Follow up with the agency
Getting fired can make you feel frustrated, but don’t drop the ball on your report. Follow up with the agency where you made your report to find out the result. They may not be able to share the entirety of their actions, but at the very least you’ll find out if they’ve taken some kind of action.
Sometimes, you might be able to submit additional information, including the fact that you were fired for filing the report. This information won’t be relevant to all agencies, like the FDA, but if you reported your boss to the EEOC, it might be relevant.
The EEOC enforces federal laws that make discrimination and harassment illegal. For instance, they enforce laws against discrimination and retaliation, so they’d probably like to know if you were fired after filing your report.
On the other hand, OSHA mainly handles complaints about workplace safety, but they also handle complaints of retaliation.
If you’re not sure if the agency would care about you being fired, it doesn’t hurt to let them know. Worst case, they’ll tell you it’s a moot point.
4. Don’t talk to your coworkers
After getting fired, you’ll want to be careful about who you talk to, especially about work. If you are still in contact with your coworkers, be careful what you say to whom. You might be able to trust certain people who were on your side before you left, but be cautious because that doesn’t mean much.
If you are the only employee who filed a report, your coworkers might be doing everything they can to keep their job out of fear. Not many people will stand up to an employer, and many people backpedal when they realize they might get fired.
Some of your coworkers might only be talking to you to get information and reporting back to their boss to keep themselves out of hot water.
Don’t let your termination go
You didn’t deserve to get fired, so don’t let your termination go without seeking compensation. Find a lawyer to see if you have a lawsuit because you deserve to be compensated for your troubles.