Losing a job is difficult in any circumstances. As a result, workers who have lost their jobs and believe they have been wrongfully terminated should be familiar with what wrongful termination is and their legal rights and protections if it happens to them.
Employment law is an area of the law that protects workers from unlawful actions of employers and can provide other workplace protections. Though most employees are considered at-will employees, who can be terminated at any time and without any reason, no employee can be terminated for an illegal reason. Employers are prohibited from terminating employees for certain unlawful reasons even if they are considered at-will employees.
Employees should be familiar with the situations that can constitute unlawful termination. It is illegal for an employer to terminate an employee in violation of state or federal anti-discrimination laws; as a form of sexual harassment; in violation of an oral or written employment agreement with the employee; in violation of certain labor laws, including collective bargaining laws; or in retaliation for the employee filing a complaint or claim against the employer.
In any of these circumstances, if the employee is fired in violation of these protections, different types of legal options, resources and remedies may be available to the terminated employee and their family. It is no secret that most employees rely on their jobs to support themselves and their families. That is why they should know what to do if they have been wrongfully terminated from their job by an employer who is in violation of the law.