Dealing with workplace issues is never a pleasant experience. While some of the problems can be dealt with through HR or through direct and respectful confrontation with the person who has been causing you issues, others are far more complicated than that. Meaning, other issues may call for including an employment lawyer into the mix. Read more about what labor law entails.
Sometimes, employees may find it difficult, or even impossible, to determine whether the issue they are facing calls for hiring these professionals, or whether it should be handled in a different way. Nothing unusual to be confused about this. After all, I’ve explained that some problems could be solved by going to the superiors or HR, and you don’t want to involve attorneys if that’s not necessary.
On the other hand, you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to get proper legal representation if it is necessary. Put differently, you don’t want to refrain from hiring a lawyer if those professionals can help you deal with the problem you are facing. The trouble is, however, in deciding when you need to hire these pros and when not.
Well, that is the question we will be dealing with today. Talking about the reasons for hiring an employment lawyer, we will help you get a clearer idea on when it is you should contact these professionals. And, if you decide to contact them at one point, you’ll need to understand how to choose the right expert for you, which is the next topic we will cover as well.
Reasons To Hire An Employment Lawyer
Deciding if you need legal help or not is never easy. Most people tend to avoid hiring professionals until they are completely certain they need them. While my advice would be to hire these experts the moment you start suspecting you need them, I get that you don’t want to rush into anything. Therefore, let us check out some of the reasons and thus clear signs that you should definitely hire an employment lawyer.
1. Discrimination And Harassment
The sad reality of our time is that, even though we are witnessing so many developments and awareness is being raised regarding so many issues, discrimination and harassment still remain serious problems in the work place. They are, sadly, not eradicated. If, for example, you feel you are being discriminated against on the basis of your gender, age, religion, disability, or anything else, hiring an employment lawyer should definitely be the next step. These professionals will take a look at your circumstances and let you know if you have a case, as well as form the right strategy to fight for your rights.
The same goes for harassment. Sexual harassment is, unfortunately, still rather pleasant in the workplace, and employees often feel scared or ashamed to react. Don’t fall into the same trap. Experiencing any kind of harassment is a clear sign that hiring an employment lawyer is a must, and those professionals will know how to deal with the harasser, as well as with their company policies and the HR managers.
2. Wrongful Termination
Discrimination and harassment are probably the most obvious reasons for hiring these professionals. They are, however, not the only ones. Say you have been terminated without any valid reasons stated by the employment contract and by the law for that matter. Consulting with an employment attorney is the first thing you should do if you feel you’ve been wrongfully terminated, because they will know exactly what you can expect from the case and whether the battle is worth fighting.
3. Retaliation
Have you spoken up about an unfair situation in your workplace, and has disciplinary action been taken against you due to that? This is one form of retaliation, and it is certainly not something to be left ignored and taken for granted. Put differently, this is also when you should hire an employment lawyer, as he or she will inform you about the necessary actions to take and explain how you are protected under the employment law.
4. Hostile Working Environment
Are your coworkers and managers making the working environment hostile? This can include any types of activities that make the workplace uncomfortable and unsafe, and thus lead to you not being able to be productive in your work. Public shaming, nepotism, verbal or non-verbal aggression… Those are just some of the examples of hostile environments to keep in mind and if you notice any of it, hiring professionals will be a must.
5. Unpaid Wages Or Benefits
If your wages are not being paid, or if you’ve been denied benefits just because the company wants to save money, that is certainly a huge cause for concern. In fact, in situations like those, it is completely obvious that you need to hire an employment lawyer (more info on what to do if you’re not getting paid) to fight for your rights. The professionals will help you claim your wages and benefits.
How To Choose The Right Employment Lawyer
Deciding when to hire a labor law professional is just one part of this story. The next thing to do is choose the right lawyer for you, and that can be the tricky part, especially so if you’ve never had to work with these experts in the past. Finding yourself unaware of the criteria you should use, you’ll probably automatically be unable to make a choice as well, which will simply lead to postponing the battle for your rights, and that’s never a good idea. This is why learning precisely how to choose the perfect employment attorney for you is a must, and I’ll make things a bit clearer by letting you know of the criteria you’ll need to use in the choosing process.
Qualifications Are Important
Choosing lawyers who aren’t qualified for the job is definitely not something you will do. Yet, what you may wind up doing is forgetting to check those qualifications and assuming that the people who advertise as being great attorneys are automatically great attorneys. I get where such an assumption may come from, but the truth is that you should never assume such things and that checking, instead, is always a must. Therefore, take your time to check the qualifications of the lawyers you’re considering, as that is how you will ensure you’re hiring those professionals who know what they are doing.
So Is Experience
In order for the pros to know what they are doing, they will also have to be experienced, in addition to being qualified. By hiring experienced professionals, you will further guarantee that they will do a great job representing you and fighting for your rights, regardless of the specific workplace issue you are facing. Visiting the official websites will help you check the experience level, but you can also always inquire about it when you actually get in touch with the lawyers you’re considering and do a few interviews.
Reputation Matters Too
Before you get to the interviews, though, you’ll need to check another crucial thing. Finding the right employment lawyer, as explained a wikiHow life, definitely takes time, and you need to use that time the right way. One of the steps to take, of course, is to check the reputation of the professionals you’re considering, because you want to be absolutely sure that past clients have been happy with their representation, and there’s no better way to check that than through reviews and other sources that can help you determine the reputation.
Clear And Comfortable Communication Is A Must
Now for the interviewing part. Sure, the main thing to do here is ask any questions you may have and get the answers that will help you make the final choice. Yet, you will also need to take note of the communication during the interviewing process. Clear communication is a must, and so is feeling comfortable while talking to potential lawyers, as you want to be able to share everything that’s bothering you in the workplace.
Remember To Talk About The Fees
Talking about the fees is another significant thing to do. This is because you want to know precisely how much the professionals you are thinking of hiring will charge for their services. Remember, though, that you should never decide by checking nothing else but the fees, since you want to have a great, highly qualified, experienced, and reputable employment lawyer on your side, and that calls for checking factors more important than the fees. Factors mentioned above.
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Mashum Mollah is the feature writer of Search Engine Magazine and an SEO Analyst at iDream Agency. Over the last 3 years, He has successfully developed and implemented online marketing, SEO, and conversion campaigns for 50+ businesses of all sizes. He is the co-founder of Social Media Magazine.
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