Getting Fired: Prevent or Survive One of Life's Top Stressors
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About this ebook
“Getting Fired: Prevent or Survive One of Life’s Top Stressors” is written by a plaintiff’s employment attorney. Tennessee attorney Katherine A. Young has met with or spoken to thousands of employees who have just been fired over the past twenty years. Her years of listening allow her to summarize and list the signs of danger to share with employees who are in fear of losing a job. The book explains the warning signs of an impending termination in layman’s language. Quizzes and reader self-evaluation allow the reader to determine if they may be in jeopardy of a firing and if so, how to prepare. Scenarios of real-life composite clients explain to the reader the typical situations that should tip off an employee that trouble is on the way. Young’s advice to the composite clients illustrate the important decisions that can be made so an employee ends up in the best possible landing position if a firing does occur. She offers guidance ranging from the practical (how to arrange your office space to deflect attention) to the strategic (evaluating the steps to become eligible for unemployment insurance benefits). Guidance on consulting with an attorney, documenting discriminatory or retaliatory treatment, negotiating severance packages, and leaving the job with dignity are all covered. “Getting Fired” will help employees plan and prevail over a tough situation that all too many Americans have experienced in the past decade.
Katherine A. Young
Katherine Young has been licensed as an attorney in Tennessee and California (inactive) since 1995. The focus of her practice is employment law representing individual plaintiffs. She has worked with hundreds of clients who have experienced discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Young is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, various U.S. District Federal Courts and Tennessee courts. Her personal hobbies include reading, swimming, and going to the movies as often as possible.
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Getting Fired - Katherine A. Young
GETTING FIRED
Prevent or Survive One of Life’s Top Stressors
Katherine A. Young, J.D.
Copyright © 2015 Katherine A. Young.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover design © Melissa Alvarez, BookCovers.us
Cover photography © Depositphotos.com
Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar, GoPublished.com
ISBN: 978-0-9969068-0-7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter One: Should You See a Lawyer?
Not Every Lawyer Is an Employment Lawyer
Expect to Pay a Consultation Fee
Make an In-Person or Telephone Appointment if Possible
Chapter Two: Assess Your Situation
Andrew’s Problem
My Advice to Andrew
Give Yourself Credit
You Are Not a Special Snowflake
Quiz: Ask Yourself the Hard Questions
Data Recording: Gauge Your Time Remaining
Assess Your Situation with the Known Facts
Chapter Three: Termination of At-Will Employees
Beth’s Problem
My Advice to Beth
Who Is an At-Will Employee?
Typical Situations Preceding a Legal Firing
Common but Mistaken Beliefs about the Process of Termination
Quiz: A Negativity Cloud
Chapter Four: Quitting Is Usually a Poor Choice
Eduardo’s Problem
My Advice to Eduardo
Quitting to Avoid a Termination on Your Record
A Choice of Quitting or Being Fired
Don’t Cut Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face
Quit Only When You Have an Equal or Better Job Offer in Hand
Most Reasons to Quit Are Not Good Enough
The Damage Caused by a Voluntary Quit
A Forced Quit Rarely Survives Scrutiny
Chapter Five: When Quitting Is the Best Solution
Irene’s Problem
My Advice to Irene
When You Work in an Industry Where Termination is the Kiss of Death
When You Really Did Something Terrible
When Your Safety Is in Jeopardy
Create a Record before You Resign
Legal Good Cause
for a Resignation
Final Decision: Walk the Plan Voluntarily or Be Pushed Off?
Chapter Six: Possible Protections from Being Fired
Jafari’s Problem
My Advice to Jafari
What Is a Protected Category?
What Is the Real Reason for the Employer’s Bad Acts?
Have You Also Experienced Tangible Adverse Actions?
Bad Acts but Not Tangible Adverse Actions
Tangible Adverse Actions Must be Due to Your Status
Chapter Seven: Stopping or Stalling an Imminent Termination
My Advice to Jafari on His Discrimination Claims
If Your Situation Involves Discrimination
Steps to Inform the Company of Your Concerns
Don’t Give Up Your Leverage without Thought
Now May Be the Optimal Time to Negotiate a Severance Package
If Your Situation Involves Retaliation
My Advice to Beth on Her Retaliation Claims
If Your Situation Involves Company Illegalities
If Your Situation Involves Exercising a Legal Right
Chapter Eight: Your Secret Action Plan
Mindy’s Problem
Mindy’s Solution
Reconnaissance and Job Search
Use Your Benefits
Consider Stopping Excess Retirement Benefits
Study Unemployment Benefits Carefully
Square Your Accounts with the Company
Now is Not the Time for a Vacation
Mind Your Ps and Qs
Steps to Leave with Your Property Intact
Chapter Nine: A Reduction in Force or Buy-Out
How to Act in the Conference Room
Scenario One: A Reduction in Force
In Most States, They Don’t Owe You Much, if Anything
A Severance Package May Be Nicely Wrapped Air
Is the Proposed Severance Package Merely What You Are Owed?
Vacation Days Usually Are Not a Gift
Sick Leave Usually Is a Gift
Resigning When You Are Part of a Genuine Reduction in Force
Is the Severance Enough to Offset the Rights You Waive?
Don’t Allow Yourself to be Hustled
Did the Company Agree in Writing To Not Fight Unemployment?
Best Case Scenario: Get the Severance and then Get the Unemployment
Why Unemployment is Bad for the Company
When You Are Offered a Buy-Out Option
The Veiled Threat Behind Some Buy-Outs
Chapter Ten: A Firing
Scenario Two: An At-Will Firing with No Discrimination/Retaliation Component
Scenario Three: An At-Will Firing with Discrimination/Retaliation Components
Leaving the Workplace
Conclusion
Notes
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
I have practiced employment law for twenty years. During those years, I have counseled hundreds of people who have been fired. Most were sad, worried, and surprised. Often they told me a long story of a deteriorating work situation that should have set off alarm bells. I frequently heard regretful statements of, I should have seen it coming.
Over and over I listened to, I really need my health insurance.
I don’t know how we will make it. We live paycheck to paycheck.
I knew that something was wrong.
I have also met with a much smaller group of people who felt something was wrong at work but could not decide if they were letting their imagination run away with them. Those people came to tell me about their situation and to get counseling from an objective person who knew no one involved and could cut through the personal hurt feelings. Many were angry, defiant, and convinced the company could not fire them without legal consequences. Those people were often bitterly disappointed to find the law had no protection for them at all. Their job could be taken away with no legal consequences to the company.
Also, during those years, I have talked to a small percentage of people who were fired but who were prepared. They had started or completed a job search, they had saved the money they could tuck away, and they were able to act in a calm, professional manner when called to the conference room. Some were even able to negotiate a severance or a written reference letter.
I don’t want that sad, worried, and surprised freshly-fired person to be you. This book will tell you how to recognize what is happening, plan for the worst, and avoid the mistakes made when a firing is a surprise. With the guidance you will find in this book, you will be able to make an action plan and maintain your dignity, even if your job is not salvageable. I want you to be one of those people who look back at a job ending and say, I landed on my feet.
Throughout the book, I will use composite examples of real situations of people who have faced a potential firing. I have changed the details and merged facts of many clients from past years to protect people who have come to me for the confidential advice of an attorney. At the beginning of each section, you will read about a worker whose problem may mirror your own. I hope the advice given to each worker and the following explanation will help you make the best decision for your problem.
If nothing else, it may help you decide you need to scrape up the money from somewhere to try to safeguard your livelihood by seeking legal help. Your job is often your most precious asset. What other investment do you have that pays you regularly and provides you with almost all of your financial support? It is a precious thing, and I find people often underestimate how valuable a job is to them. Even a boring or unpleasant job may not be easy to replace.
This book is not a substitute for legal advice. It is only a guide and cannot possibly address every situation, all of which are unique and fact-specific. Your facts may make a general suggestion in this book totally unsuitable for your situation. You may be reading this book in a state with differing laws and unemployment regulations than the ones to which I refer. I strongly urge anyone with a legal problem to seek competent legal help in your own community or state. Use your common sense when making life-changing decisions and seek legal help if needed.
If you read through this book, take the quizzes, and follow the suggested preparation steps. You will create a plan that can be used if ever needed. If your suspicion is wrong and you are not fired, you can relax and recommend this book to the next friend who says to you, I think I might be getting fired.
CHAPTER ONE
SHOULD YOU SEE A LAWYER?
Americans are generally sunshine people. We are high hopes,
singing in the rain
kind of people. This is, of course, a good trait. But sometimes, it can cause a warped view of reality.