It’s not something you want to think about. In fact you’ve probably been darting this issue or putting off making “that” call. You were dismissed for what appears on paper to be something that is your fault and nothing but your fault. After the initial anger subsided you were left with feelings of emotional pain and distress; left wondering about the future, if you can even handle putting your heart into your work at a new job, only to be tossed out like garbage unexpectedly, again.
Someone just told you that you failed. You were wrong. No matter what words were typed on that ugly piece of paper, you read: you are an irresponsible person. It’s all your fault. You were selfish and all your work counts for nothing. But you came into work everyday on time; you stayed to work late when other people skipped off home to be with their family or go to the bar; you sacrificed your time away from your family and your life with a desire that your boss will think well of you and hopefully remember you when it comes time to evaluate your performance. All this so that next year, life for you and your family might be a little easier with a few extra hundred or thousand dollars in your pocket.
You thought you were doing well. You thought you were being a good, honest, hardworking employee. But now here you are hurt, starting to feel despair, scrambling to pay your bills and that doubt keeps creeping up, you wonder if you really are that less than worthless person that hurt your fellow employees by being a destructive force or dead weight by not being exactly whatever unknown unspoken expectation they now say you were supposed to be or perform, after the fact.
Employers have certain responsibilities. It’s not just you. So why do you feel as if you’ve just wasted years of your life, only to be made to feel like you were the one who was wrong, instead of the one who was wronged? You want to do what’s right, but you worry about dragging down your fellow employees, risking your friends’ careers, and even those in middle management that didn’t do anything to you (and at times helped you navigate the tricky workplace waters when they didn’t have to). After all, it was just that one person that you always felt was “out to get you”. You don’t want to hurt your former fellow employees after all, supposedly again.
Not only the paycheck, but workplace interactions, allow a sense of security in our lives. However, the workplace can also be fraught with legalities that make it troublesome for both employers and employees. Just look at what has been running through your mind, awful doubts about yourself that you never would have thought you would allow yourself to think. Deep down you know it’s not true, but in the meantime you have to deal with the reality of taking care of your responsibilities, all the while wondering if you have the energy or the time or the wherewithal to fight back, to get what is rightfully yours, whatever that might be. An employment lawyer is there to assist you with a wide range of difficult employment law issues, including but certainly not limited to wrongful termination.
Approaching a lawyer is not a big deal. It is always up to you, at any point, on what actions you want to move forward with. Making an appointment is not making a commitment to whatever nightmarish fight your imagination might be serving up. While you are trying to piece together your life, take time out to talk to a lawyer. They are there to explore your options and discuss your fears. They are someone you can ask those tough personal questions that have been running through you mind.
The legal system is complicated and ever changing. That’s why lawyers and their supportive team educate themselves – to help you, so that you can concentrate on moving on with your life, and not banging your head against the wall at 2AM trying to understand employment law when you know you should be getting your rest.
You are not a bad employee, irresponsible person or dead weight. You were simply caught in a web of office politics and the agenda of someone with their own issues. You are a good person that deserves a talented employment lawyer to fight for your rights.
Fear and anger have their uses, they can be constructive, they are there to prompt you into action. If you don’t take the next step you’ll always wonder what could have been. Sleep well tonight, knowing you’ll make that call. As for any future legal battles, you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it. Have faith and keep looking for that window God left open for you when the door closed.