How To Create Effective Strategy To Protect Your Job

What Is Your Job Protection Plan?

Create Effective Strategy To Protect Your Job. This is the fourth installment in our "Learn What To Do If The Employer Is Setting You Up For Termination" series.

Previously we have revealed some of the most common tricks and gimmicks employers use when formulating their plan of attack against the target employee(s).

Hostile employers will get everyone including managers, HR, owners, co-workers even vendors and customer/clients on board to destroy your employment. As we saw in the 3rd installment they develop an aggressive and offensive plan of attack.

Well in this article we are going share info on how the target to be terminated can design his/her own line of defensive and even offensive strategies to protect their employee rights. The key to an effective defense to protect your employment rights is having a clear understanding of what the employers' game against you is. For example as we've previously discussed being aware of things like....

---> Change in management

---> Sudden and unexpected negative job evaluations

---> Change in how co-workers interact with you

---> Sudden unexpected or unjustified change in work schedule

---> Sudden intolerance by boss to the slightest errors you make

---> Denial of promotional opportunities

---> Being informed of impending layoffs due to "lack of work"

...should signal getting your defensive strategy going as soon as possible.

Create Effective Strategy

Recognizing these conditions early in the game and acting accordingly will give your defense a strong foundation. Now let's look at the nuts and bolts of the weapons used in protecting your rights as an employee whose is targeted for termination.


1) Stealth

Act as if you don't know what's going on! Be "harmless as a dove but wise as a serpent". Use the same tactic on your boss that she tries to use against you. Remember they will try to "lull you to sleep" into thinking everything is okay. Reverse this on them by not responding in word or deed alerting them you know what they are up to. As long as your employer believes you are ignorant of their termination plan the greater your advantage.


2) Dummy Up

Refrain from conversations with co-workers about how you are being treated. Do far more listening and far less talking with fellow employees about in house "politics". Let them aid in your documentation strategy by "seducing" and inducing them into revealing info.

For example, when the opportunity arises you could casually ask something like, "How did AngieX handle that comment from supervisorZ about what her lips reminded him of?" "I was sorry to hear about JohnnyA being let go, I wonder what happened?" "Isn't it strange MaryB is the only one in her department not promoted and been here ten years?"

These are examples of questions designed to elicit information about possible employee rights violations involving co-workers which may be used to support or strengthen your position. The key is to become and aggressive listener and passive speaker. Let others feed you information while you keep quiet. But don't be too eager when asking questions as that could alert management thru your co-workers you know you are a target. 

Create Effective Strategy

3) Zero In

The implementation of the "Stealth" and "Dummy Up" elements of an employment protection plan will usually lead to uncovering the specific employee rights your boss is endeavoring to violate.

When I was targeted for termination I didn't change anything I was doing and I kept my ears open. My employer then changed my job duties to include heavy lifting and pulling.

This tactic made it clear which of my employee rights the employer's termination strategy was aimed at. About a year previously I had been diagnosed with a medical condition requiring an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accommodation. The employer reluctantly provided it without incident. All that changed once I was targeted for termination.

However, at the time the accommodation was made I knew I needed to learn all I could about what my ADA rights were. Over a period of several years my employer created various work scenarios designed to take away the ADA accommodation and set me up for termination when I would decline to perform a job function requiring very physical activity I needed the accommodation for in the first place.

In fact at that point I knew more about the ADA than HR! The employers strategy backfired and only provided me with more rock solid documentation. It also afforded me the opportunity to complain to the EEOC concerning the employers willful violation of my rights under the ADA. Which leads us to strategy number four.


4) Counter Attack

You have uncovered the bad faith employers termination plan of attack now it's time for you to do the unexpected...counterattack! Now that doesn't mean walk up to your antagonist(s) and punch him or them out. I learned from my own professional experience a very important truth.

ONCE YOUR EMPLOYER CAN PREDICT HOW YOU REACT TO SITUATIONS YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!

You now know they plan to fire you and soon. How do you stop that from happening? One of the best ways to protect your job is to make the boss think his job may be terminated.

Create Effective Strategy

Step 1

Consult with an attorney about the workers' compensation laws in your state. Why? You may be able to obtain a legitimate statement from a healthcare professional attesting to issues resulting from the oppressive and hostile environment created by the employer. If that happens you can then file a worker's compensation lawsuit against the employer.

This move on a target employee's part will almost always hit the employer like a "Pearl Harbor" attack! Your bad boss will be absolutely stunned by this tactic and realize that the hunter is now the hunted. From my professional experience employers will respond to these types of employee counter attacks by...


1) Immediately consulting HR and legal department...of course

2) Depending on the outcome of #1 the employer will put the "show you door" plan on hold

3) Re-focus and or initiate a different termination plan


The advantage to you is TIME! To create effective strategy this is a clever maneuver. You've stopped them dead in their tracks from unjustly taking away your ability to provide for your family. You've also demonstrated that you are not afraid, you are confident and determined to protect your rights.


Step 2

DO NOT ASSUME VICTORY! Maintain your focus and keep your mouth shut. Keep documenting any and everything that's relevant and keep conversations with co-workers to minimum. Also, design interaction to be inquisitive not informative. In other words YOU ask questions not answer them. Continue to follow the advice of your attorney(s). Besides stopping getting fired the other benefit of your counter-attack will make any retaliation against you all the more obvious.


If you've been faithful to read each succeeding installment in this series you already have a strategic advantage if your employer decides to make you a target for termination. In the next installment in this series we are going reveal ways for you to not only maintain that advantage but make your employer regret putting a target on your back.  Create Effective Strategy To Protect Your Job. Now you are ready for the next step.

Create Effective Strategy

5th Installment:
"How To Tactics That Will Give You An Advantage"

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