Is It Really Worth Taking Your Boss To Court?
Right now it seems like we live in a society in which we can sue anyone for anything. The ‘blame and claim’ culture especially seems to be rife in the workplace. Whether you have had an accident in the office or you believe that your employer is unfairly dismissing you, there seem to be so many reasons to take a company owner to court. But is it really worth it? Here are some reasons why you might think twice about taking your boss to court:
Are You Sure You Are Being Treated Illegally?
Even though you feel like your boss is being very unfair, there is a slim chance that they are acting against the law. After all, they can’t risk being taken to court and forced to pay a huge compensation sum. In order to know whether or not you are being treated illegally, you need to fully understand your rights. Get to know exactly what you are entitled to and how the law defines discrimination in the workplace. You might be surprised to find that your boss is perfectly within their rights!
What If Your Boss Retaliates?
Have you heard rumors that your boss might blacklist you for filing a lawsuit against them? That means that they give your name to other companies in the area to ensure that they know never to hire you. Or perhaps you are worried that your boss might simply fire you once they hear that you are suing? Well, the Brooklyn Workers Comp Lawyer website says not to worry about employer retaliation as it very rarely happens. In actual fact, retaliation from an employer is often illegal, and they won’t be able to react in this way.
Can You Really Afford All The Legal Fees?
Even if you are only suing the company for a very limited sum of money, you will still face hefty legal fees. These fees will come from the court and from your lawyer. Are you sure that you can really afford all these charges? Even if you have legal insurance, most policies will not cover your entire fees, and you may still have to pay a surprising amount. If you can’t afford any legal bills, then you will be better off trying to improve your situation internally.
Are You Ready For Your Whole Life To Be Scrutinized?
Sometimes a lawyer may advise you to add a claim for emotional distress. This can help you get a lot more money in the compensation settlement. However, there is one huge downside to this – you whole life will be put up for scrutiny, not just your personal life. Are you sure you will be able to handle this? It’s important to remember that your family might be judged as well, so you need to be sure that they are ok going through with everything as well.
Will It Be Easier Settling Out Of Court?
Taking your employer and the company to court can cause a lot of upheaval for everyone involved. You and your employer will need to take time away from the office, and it will cost both of you a lot of money. Are you sure that there isn’t a simpler way to resolve your issues? For example, it would be in you and your employer’s best interest to try and settle outside of court. Sure, this means that you might not get as much compensation as if you had taken the whole case to court, but it will certainly keep the whole situation a lot less stressful. Not only that, though, but it will prevent your boss from becoming too bitter at you for causing a lot of bother over something that could have easily been settled away from a courtroom.
Will Your Co-Workers Take It Against You?
We’ve all been there before, socializing with our co-workers and complaining about the company’s management and owner. But, more often than not, that is where it ends. No one will expect any of this gossip and chatter to go any further. Especially not to go to court! When you are deciding whether or not it is worth taking your complaint to an employee tribunal, you need to consider how your colleagues are going to react. Even though they might have the same complaints about your boss, they might have never imagined them becoming the basis of a court case. As a result, you might find that there is a backlash against you in the office. This is especially the case if your colleagues need to go to court to give evidence. They might not want to make all their complaints public, especially if they have to do so in front of your boss. They might also be unhappy about all the time they have to take off work and spend away from their family to go to court.
Things Might Be Just As Bad In A New Job
Even if you do take things to court, win your case, and things improve at work, you might end up back at square one if you ever get a new position with a different company. So, before you do take your case to court, you need to think about your future with your current company. Would you stay there permanently if the result of the court case improved things? If so, then it could be worth fighting your battle. However, if you only see yourself sticking around for another couple of years, it probably isn’t worth it.
As you can see, going to court may not be the best choice, no matter how unfairly you think you are being treated. It will really pay off to balance all the pros and cons of going to court and taking legal action against your employer. Still not sure what to do? Ask a career lawyer for further advice. They will be able to clearly describe what to expect from the process and all the various costs that you might incur. After chatting with them, you should be able to come to a decision.
Providing a daily digital source for motivation and inspiration for the perfect work/life balance.
Responses