Are you currently dealing with a labor-related dispute with your employer?
The first thing you need to ensure is that your rights as an employee are not violated or withheld. You can do this by reading up on State Labor laws and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – which is responsible for regulating and investigating discrimination-based claims laid against the employer.
You must then find out what the clauses and sub-clauses in your employee contracts state about matters relating to workers’ compensation insurance, grounds for dismissal, and discrimination based on race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Here are five reasons to consult an employment lawyer.
Negotiating Non-Compete Agreements
With many millennials quitting their jobs and starting their businesses, more and more corporate employers are tightening the grip on their trade secrets and clientele list by making employees sign non-compete agreements that span for more extended periods.
Not only are employers widening the non-compete timeframe, but they are also expanding the geographical scale, thus ensuring that new competition only exists outside of their client’s access.
However, since signing a non-compete might be unavoidable, make sure you squeeze in as much wiggle room as possible. Contact an employment lawyer to help you read and understand the terms of the agreement.
Your lawyer will, on your behalf, negotiate the timeframe and geographical limitations, as well as suggest non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements that are less restricting than a non-compete.
Reviewing An Employment Contract
An employment lawyer is not only applicable when you are facing a disciplinary hearing, labor dispute, or a hostile environment – you may use the advice of a lawyer to review an offer by a potential employer.
Your lawyer will assist you in understanding what the clauses in the contract mean and how they might affect you in the future. Hiring a lawyer helps you avoid agreeing to restrictive conditions like non-compete agreements.
Discrimination Or Harassment Claims
If you have ever experienced any hostility in the workplace, either in the form of discrimination or harassment – you should get in contact with an employment lawyer to seek legal advice. The sensitivity of discrimination and harassment complaints requires experts knowledgeable about the employment laws.
Hiring an employment lawyer may speed up the progress of your case, limit the amount of paperwork for you to fill, and it might even help you avoid regularly going to court.
Negotiating A Severance Package
Should you find yourself having to leave your job unwillingly due to retrenchment, you are entitled to receiving an exit package – consisting of monies and benefits like a funeral cover, retirement savings, and medical aid contributions.
It is crucial to have an attorney to assist you in negotiating conditions that stand to benefit you and your dependents. It is essential that whatever benefits you agree on are sufficient to support your lifestyle until you find alternative employment.
Hence, it would be helpful if you used your actual living expenses and some that may arise in the future to design the severance package that will be most beneficial to you.
Unfair Dismissal
Unfair treatment and unfair dismissal are the most common employee complaints against their employers. Many workers find themselves receiving written warnings and attending disciplinary hearings without having the proper knowledge of their rights – thus heightening the risk of being unfairly dismissed.
Hence, it is imperative to consult an attorney to assist you in protecting and exercising your rights according to the Stale Labor regulations and the EEOC.
Reading a contract is one thing, but understanding the jargon and colloquial terms used in the law industry is another. It is better to hire an attorney well-versed with employment law, as this will save you time and costs in the long term.
