Most mature professionals don’t expect to be celebrated each and every day at their workplace, but that doesn’t mean being mistreated, or suffering an injustice, is going to be acceptable to most people. There’s something of a stereotype that suggests if you have to rise in the corporate world, you have to be relatively hostile, have sharp elbows, and step over people to proceed. Perhaps that’s true in some places and industries.
While it’s true that being passed over for promotion isn’t necessarily what you’d consider an “injustice,” it might necessarily feed into a wider picture that absolutely can be defined in this context. Perhaps you’ve had your wages improperly paid, you’ve worked more than you should have for no benefit, and benefits or packages promised to you haven’t been delivered.
All of this is both mistreatment at best and fraud at worst. So, how do you progress with such a stressful situation to manage? Let’s consider this, below:
Read Through Your Contract & Entitlements Closely
Take some time to sit down and go through employment contracts line by line, because it can reveal things that have been forgotten or ignored, especially if the contract was signed months or years ago during the excitement of getting the job.
Employment contracts often contain specific clauses about overtime pay, holiday entitlements, benefit packages, and promotion procedures that might not have seemed important at the time but could become very relevant if these haven’t been delivered to you, or if benefits you’ve qualified for have vanished. That documentation can make or break your claim if you escalate the issue.
Speak To A Suitable Legal Professional
Getting advice from someone who understands employment law could help clarify whether workplace issues actually do suggest legal problems or if they’re just frustrating situations that need to be handled differently. Employment lawyers or legal advisors who specialize in workplace matters would be able to review contracts, talk through your experiences, and explain what options might be available without necessarily jumping straight into formal legal action.
Some, such as when speaking to a lawyer who handles mesothelioma claims, will take your suspicion extremely seriously and stop at nothing to correct pass behavior and grant you the entitlement you deserve. It’s essential to be candid and upfront, while also presenting your documentation. Part of that will involve:
Being Upfront About The Issue & Carefully, Quietly Document The Response
Having a direct conversation with supervisors or HR departments about workplace problems is a necessary step to prove that you tried to resolve the issue before you escalated, and the conduct you get back will generally be a sign of how you’ve been treated there.
Be sure to discipline yourself for approaching these conversations professionally and factually, focusing on specific incidents or policies rather than making general complaints about unfair treatment. It will give you the strongest base for the standards of your workplace and superiors to truly showcase their treatment and priorities. You may then be able to continue on and escalate the issue, showing that your claims are well backed by fact, such as the obvious dismissals and denigrations placed upon you.
With this advice, we hope you can not only combat injustice in the workplace for a current or prior job, but gain the true compensation you deserve for such difficulty, no matter if it’s through negligence, discrimination, or mistreatment.