Claiming Compensation at the Work Place

Written by Law Shopper on Thursday, April 9th, 2009
Having an accident at work is never a very good thing. For that matter, having any kind of accident anywhere is not good. But at the workplace, things could get quite complicated. Generally, when you suffer any kind of personal injury, in any accident through no fault of your own, you can claim compensation from those who were at fault. However, when the accident happens at your workplace, claiming compensation might become a tad difficult.

However, that is no need to suffer an accident quietly, especially when you did not deserve it. And if you decide to go forth and claim the compensation you deserve, it would be good to have some idea of the consequences that might unfold. The aim of the article is not to discourage you, but just to let you know what you’re up against, so that you can better prepare yourself emotionally.

First of all, most companies are not very eager to pay their employees anything over and above the salary and the occasional bonus. This is especially so when it comes to employees on the lower rungs. Thus, if you’ve had an accident in a factory or warehouse, you have lower chances of getting compensation as compared to someone from the accounts department. Similarly an accounts guy has lesser chances as compared to the department head. Thus, you will need to realistically determine what your chances are. Of course, there are some companies who haven’t lost their sense of justice and will pay you fairly, regardless of anything else.

Second, your company is a big corporation who can afford to spend on lawyers and such stuff. You — may or may not. So, unless you have a very good case, thick twice. A good case is one where you have considerable damage, are losing out on quite a lot, have been duly cheated by the company and most of all, have some evidence to go by. Evidence is quite important. When you have all these, it is quite possible to get a good lawyer on your side.

Thirdly, if your company is really miffed about this whole thing – things could get hard at work. You might yourself snubbed by your superiors and avoided by your mates and colleagues. Promotions and offers may stop coming your way and the general attitude will be a little hostile. This is because at times your company will assume that the compensation is merely a ruse to extort money or to avoid earning it by means of hard work. Other employees might fear losing their jobs so they might not want to have anything to do with you. Your employers cannot fire you legally on these terms, but they will try and make your work life miserable.

Again, this is not reason enough to get disheartened. However, it is always good to be realistic. Unless the accident has really affected your work ability, your life and caused you a lot of pain – think twice before filing a claim. It is also important to speak with your lawyer about what chances you have of winning. However, if you’ve made up your mind, then hopefully this article will only firm your resolve.

By: Nicholas Tate

About the Author:
A work injury claim is not like other accident claims – you need to think it through – quite a few things are at stake. Therefore, it is quite important that you come to people who understand compensation claims – claims4negligence.co.uk



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