There are certain laws that govern businesses when it comes to hiring and firing employees. Even when companies in Houston follow regulations and good human resources practices, there are people who will threaten with a wrongful termination claim. It is helpful for companies to have an attorney they can turn to when such situations arise. Details surrounding such claims are usually not cut and dry, as one recent case highlights.
A housekeeper from Bowie was working overnight at a nursing center with another co-worker when he began telling lewd stories while on a break. The woman said that she and several of the residents at the nursing center were offended by the stories her co-worker was telling, and she reported the incident.
The woman had been an employee with the company in 2009, even when center outsourced housekeeping to a new company. As a result of the incident, the co-worker was banned from the nursing center but was still employed by the housekeeping company.
A few weeks later, the woman had trouble punching into her shift and the inappropriate co-worker called to ask why she had not clocked in. According to the woman, the co-worker began yelling at her and she hung up. He then terminated her on the grounds that she hung up the phone, but she alleges she was fired for reporting the inappropriate behavior.
The woman is seeking an undisclosed amount of damages from the housekeeping company. It is important that the business has a thorough employer liability defense to protect their assets, and an attorney is best suited to help with this kind of employment litigation.
Source: Southeast Texas Record, “Woman sues her former employer for wrongful termination,” Thomas Kallies, Feb. 11, 2014