Very few people want to be fired, especially if they feel that the firing is unjust or wrongful. However, wrongful termination is far more common than many people realize, and many individuals don’t know how to respond in the face of being let go. If you were recently fired, or suspect you may be soon, how you respond can greatly affect your options afterward, so it is always wise to consider your next few steps very carefully.
One of the most important things you can do after any termination is remaining calm and professional. If your termination was indeed wrongful, then handling it professionally rather than emotionally will almost certainly yield more desirable results.
Once the termination itself is over, you can take steps to protect yourself and begin building a case if there is one. Even after you are let go, you can still reach out to your employer to obtain your personnel file and request certain information, such as the reasons for your termination and who made the choice to terminate you. It is always useful at this point in the process to consult with an employment attorney to get specific guidance on how to proceed and whether or not your termination may have been wrongful.
You should also examine your employment contract if you have one. In some cases, the contract may indicate some violation on the part of the employer, which can offer you leverage.
You may also receive a severance offer, which you should be very careful before accepting. If your employer offers you severance, it is always wise to understand their motivations for doing so. It is possible that they are trying to buy their way out of a legitimate lawsuit, and accepting the severance may jeopardize the strength of your suit later on.
Source: Findlaw, “Wrongful Termination Claims,” accessed July 07, 2017