You’ve just been wrongfully fired and you’re quite naturally livid about the whole thing. You know that you’re experiencing unfair treatment and outright discrimination, and you’re humiliated and upset.
Take a deep breath. You need to do everything in your power to control your emotions right now and act with a clear head — because that can still make a big difference to your future. It’s important to keep your dignity on your way out the door. Here’s how you do it:
1. Ask for an explanation.
Try to get your boss to go on the record about why you are being terminated, especially if there’s a witness around. Later, you want to write down exactly what was said so you can discuss it with your attorney.
2. Don’t yell or cause a scene.
You want your co-workers to remember your exit as graceful. That will help your reputation and also make it harder for your boss to paint you as a troublemaker or someone with a volatile personality.
3. Don’t destroy any company property.
That could come back to haunt you legally. No matter how angry you are, refrain from deleting any files that belong to the company or putting a virus on the company computer.
4. Don’t threaten to sue.
Threats aren’t going to change what’s happening right now — and all you’re doing is giving your boss warning about what you might do in the future. It’s far wiser to keep your plans to yourself until after you’ve had time to digest what just happened and think things through.
If you believe that your employment was illegally terminated, contact our office to discuss your claim. An experienced attorney can help you decide what you should do next.