Being an employee means that there are certain rights that an individual is entitled to. These employee rights should be respected by workers and employers, but unfortunately, there are some instances in which workers have their rights infringed upon. This infringement could include being fired from a position without just cause, which is a situation that many employees across the country, including in Florida, have found themselves in.
A former worker at a hospital in another state has recently won a lawsuit against her former employers after she was terminated from her position. The situation reportedly began when the worker allegedly looked into a patient file of a family member who was being treated at the medical center. This action reportedly violated federal laws concerning privacy, which her superior cited as the reason for her termination.
Though this violation could result in disciplinary action, the former worker claims that the “progressive discipline procedure” was not carried out. This procedure apparently means that a more severe punishment will be handed down for each additional violation. However, this worker was terminated from her position for this first offense. The jury voted in favor of the former employee claiming that hospital supervisors can at times use privacy laws as reasons to unjustly terminate employees.
Being punished in ways other than those that are explained in the disciplinary procedures of a workplace could mean a violation of employee rights. This case shows that taking action against this unjust action can potentially be successful for former employees who file a claim. If a Florida worker believes that their employee rights were violated while on the job, they may also wish to pursue a case for justice.
Source: mlive.com, "Jurors order Hurley to pay $183,000 in wrongful termination case", Gary Ridley, June 10, 2014