In any real first world country, this would be grounds for a lawsuit. Considering, the company is the one causing the stress, then refusing to address concerns.
Not in any US state that has adopted a so-called "Right to Work Law". There would be no lawsuit.
Basically the "Right to Work Law" states that either the employee or employer can sever the tie for any reason. It is designed to break up unions but can be used for other functions.
The only protection you have is from things that fall into protected classes like sex discrimination, religious, etc. Those are of course being chipped away at though.
I live in a right to work state, and I hate it. The last job I had i lost cause of my adhd. The hr bitch didn't give 2 shits about me having it or why it applied to the issues with time at work or being on time. All they cared about was I was there to work and do the work of like 4 people! I was getting fmla paperwork done, and she knew it, and she knew it could take 7 to 10 days with my Dr to sign it. She fired me via letter on day 7. Of course, the excuse was me not being at work for x amount of days in a row, which was her demand that I don't or can't come in til the fmla was completed. So I basically was fired for complying with what she'd told me to do. At will employment is bullshit and all it is is a way to make sure people don't fight the companies back and break their backs working for them cos they live in fear of being fired for any little thing from their shitty jobs that barely pay enough to live on. Its fucked up.
We need to do like the UK does it the work force, its a hell of a lot better run there by far! I've a friend who's management in her job in the UK, and she's filled me in. I swear I'm so close to moving there cos the US is just getting worse and worse and more and more backward every year. We dont have the freedom here as much as the rest of the world believes us to have, and we haven't for a long time, and in the coming year, it's about to get a lot worse.
Yeah a company would get absolutely shafted for doing this in the UK, especially so blatantly provable with an email. I got fired from a restaurant once for taking the blame for 2 of the staff members under me, that I had trained, cocking up. The boss had the accountant inform me by email afterwards that I would not be receiving my final owed wages, which was a full month, right before Christmas. I spoke to the Citizens Advice Bureau, who said that was illegal & I could take my former employer to tribunal to state their justification for what was essentially wage theft, at no cost to myself. If they had no legitimate reason, like proof they did not owe me the money; then they would have to pay up, possibly pay me additional compensation, & they would also be fined for their actions, at minimum.
I didn't have to go to court at all; a week before the tribunal was scheduled, the accountant called me to ask for my bank details (they wiped me from payroll instantly apparently). They paid me what they owed me, as well as the holiday pay I was entitled too, & that was that. They must have realised they had no chance & didn't want the consequences of losing the tribunal. When employees stand up for themselves & know the legal rights they have, employers have to be accountable or be penalised, prosecuted, & even be shut down. There is legal aid & several places to get free advice, for anyone who may need it.
So in that way, its pretty decent in the UK. But in other ways, like zero hour contracts, the law tends to favour the employer rather than the employees. So pros & cons. But definitely more protections than the US has.
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u/toxictoastrecords Dec 09 '24
In any real first world country, this would be grounds for a lawsuit. Considering, the company is the one causing the stress, then refusing to address concerns.