Employment law covers the rules regarding workplace conditions and treatment, including when an employee can be fired and what is owed to in employee in that circumstance. It should be noted that employment law focuses on non-unionized employees: if you are a unionized employee, you will need to consult a labour lawyer.
The most common reason people look for an employment lawyer is because they have been terminated. If you have been let go for reasons that are not because of your performance, that is called termination without cause. In that situation your employer will usually offer a severance package. An experienced employment lawyer will be able to advise you are entitled to more than what your employer has offered you.
On the other hand, if an employer has terminated you and they say it is because of something you did that is called termination with cause. In this scenario the employer may not offer you any severance at all. This is the type of situation where you may have a case for wrongful dismissal if you have reason to believe the termination was unfair or is for a reason other than what you were told. An experienced employment lawyer will be able to advise you if you have a case for wrongful dismissal, where you can sue the employer for damages.
Although the two above situations are the most well known instances to consult an employment lawyer, there are other situations where an employment lawyer can help you. One of these is harassment- sexual or otherwise- where your co-workers or superiors are behaving in an abusive manner and either nothing is being done or you have been unable to speak out about it. Another common situation is where your employer is failing to provide necessary accommodations to your workplace duties because of a medical requirement or disability that you have. This can happen when workers return from a long term disability that requires some changes from their old role, although it can happen under other circumstances as well.
One final common area where people may need an employment lawyer is in the case of “constructive dismissal.” This is a situation where your employer has not fired you but they are making active attempts to make your position there so diminished that you quit, such as taking away your higher level responsibilities or cutting your hours or pay. This may happen in the hopes that you will quit- in which case they would not be required to pay you severance. An experienced employment lawyer can advise you on whether what you are experiencing would qualify as constructive dismissal and speak to you about what legal options you have in response.