A document needs your signature
Seek advice before signing a resignation, settlement, release, revised contract, performance plan, or disciplinary acknowledgment when you do not fully understand its effect. A document described as routine may still change important rights or limit later options.
- Ask for reasonable time to review it
- Keep an unaltered copy
- Do not rely only on an oral explanation of its effect
Your employment may be ending
Termination, forced resignation, redundancy, and extended suspension can raise questions about notice, contractual benefits, procedure, and future references. Advice is especially useful before responding to an allegation or accepting a proposed exit package.
- Record what was said and who attended
- Preserve the contract and relevant policies
- Note any deadline stated in the letter
The issue involves harassment or retaliation
Repeated harassment, discrimination, threats, or punishment after raising a concern should be documented carefully. Internal reporting may be appropriate, but the wording, timing, and evidence supporting a complaint can matter.
- Keep a factual chronology
- Preserve relevant messages lawfully
- Record witnesses and prior reports
- Seek immediate help if personal safety is at risk
Money or confidential information is disputed
Unpaid salary, incentives, expense claims, restrictive covenants, confidential information, and intellectual property disputes can escalate quickly. Avoid copying material indiscriminately or taking company information simply because you believe it supports your case.
- Separate personal records from company information
- Preserve payslips and compensation correspondence
- Get advice before contacting clients or using internal data
How to prepare
Bring the employment contract, relevant policies, a short timeline, and the key correspondence. Explain what outcome you want and whether preserving the working relationship is important. Early advice often creates more options, even when the eventual approach is informal.
- Identify upcoming meetings or deadlines
- List the people involved
- Write down the questions you need answered
This fictional article provides general information for demonstration purposes. It is not legal advice and does not create an advocate–client relationship.
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