Being in contact with a reputable and experienced labour lawyer is a good idea for any working professional, even if they’re not experiencing any legal trouble at work.
By having a trustworthy labour attorney on speed dial, you’ll save yourself the stress and trouble of seeking out someone to help you when a crisis arises. Dealing with legal issues at work can be stressful and challenging enough, as an employer or employee, and so having the first step of finding a lawyer already taken care of will help make things easier.
Here are just a few cases where you might find yourself relieved to already know a good labour lawyer.
A Hostile Work Environment
Finding yourself in a hostile work environment is never a good experience. Of course, these types of issues can be resolved through reports submitted to HR, but when your employer themselves is causing the problem, it might be difficult to find success in the procedure.
A hostile work environment can have many root causes, but regardless of the reasons, the outcome can be unbearable. Elevating the issue with legal assistance can sometimes be the only solution.
Breaching Your Contract
Both an employer and employee can breach a contractual agreement, in which case there can be serious repercussions. As an employer, failing to pay your staff what you agreed upon, harassing or treating them unfairly, refusing them time off or unfairly dismissing them could be considered a breach of contract.
Employees can break agreements too. For example, the breaching of non compete agreements can result in long and gruelling court cases.
Unfair Dismissal
If you feel you’ve been unfairly dismissed, you need to speak up and handle it. Understanding the difference between wrongful and unfair dismissal is important, and a legal professional will be able to assist you with these details.
Having the help of an attorney throughout this process will help you to win your case and be compensated for the unfair treatment, saving your employment or providing you with the means you need.
Discrimination in the Workplace
Unfortunately, discrimination is still an issue faced by millions in the workplace and in everyday life. Both employers and employees can be the perpetrators of discrimination or harassment in various different ways.
Discrimination based on race, gender, disability, age, pregnancy, and various other factors can cause employees to feel undermined and disrespected and this can even have lasting impacts on their careers if they are turned down for jobs or promotions based on these factors.
Getting legal help in these cases is crucial.
Withheld Remuneration or Benefits
Finally, as an employer, the withholding of remuneration or benefits from your employees for any reason is illegal and will likely result in a court case. Your staff will take action against you.
If you have had payment withheld from you, you will need to be in touch with a lawyer immediately so that you can be assisted through the process of filing a report and receiving your income.