Wrongful termination is when you are fired in a way that violates your rights. For example, maybe the firing was discriminatory. Your employer decided to let you go based on your gender, your religion or your race. It’s illegal for them to do this, and you may need to seek action to protect your job or seek potential compensation for the wages that you’ve lost.
One important thing to remember is that your losses may go beyond those immediate wages. Let’s take a look at some of the potential impacts of this wrongful termination.
Access to healthcare
For over 150 million Americans, healthcare is intrinsically tied to their job. If you get fired, you lose those healthcare benefits. This could cost you significantly. If you are diagnosed with a serious injury or disease, for example, you may need extensive medical treatment that your insurance would have previously covered – but that you now have to pay for out of pocket.
Retirement benefits
In some cases, employees also get retirement benefits. Things like pension plans are less common than they used to be, but there are still employer-sponsored retirement plans. How does losing your job impact your ability to retire?
Long-term career impacts
Finally, just consider if the firing changed the trajectory of your career. Maybe you had been steadily moving upward and you were working toward specific personal goals. Unexpectedly losing your job derails these plans and means you can’t advance as fast as you thought you would. Does this impact your earning capacity moving forward?
If you do feel that you have been wrongfully terminated, carefully take the time to consider all of the legal options at your disposal.