Do you think you have a valid claim for discrimination, harassment, retaliation or wage violation against your employer and want to file a lawsuit? Here are five tips to help you with your claim before you even speak to an employment attorney.
- Communicate problems with your employer through emails and letters.. If you only rely on verbal complaints and requests, your employer will most likely refuse to talk to you about your concern, especially if there are no witnesses to your conversation.
- Keep a journal in which you can record all the dates, times, places and names relevant to your problem. Immediately write word-for-word snippets that can validate your claim. Maintain professionalism no matter how angry you may be at your employer. Avoid using bad language because the magazine can be used as evidence. Lastly, never leave your journal unattended in places where your boss can access it. That would almost certainly get him fired and kill his lawsuit.
- Emails, press releases, and correspondence could be used as critical evidence in a violation of labor law follows. Witness testimonies will also add credibility to your claim. If your boss makes a racist comment, hits you on the butt, or intimidates you into shutting up because you saw him do something illegal, talk to anyone who may have been there. If they saw you, try to get them to side with you. If you can convince them, it will really make your case stronger.
- While you may have done your research on employment law, don’t even try to play lawyer. Terms like “retaliation,” “hostile work environment,” and “whistle-blowing” are not magic words that can intimidate your boss into automatically submitting. Chances are, your boss is smart enough to seek legal advice before responding to your ill-planned tirade. Most likely, things will change and you, instead of your boss, seem like a bully.
- Never resort to insulting your boss or resorting to physical violence Because it will get you into much deeper trouble than you already have. Take a deep breath and follow the first four tips and then call an employment attorney.
While there are more tips that can help you, the five listed above are the first and most important. The rest can be provided by your attorney.
