Why are wrongful dismissal claims soaring?…Everyone has a theory. A weakening job market. Artificial intelligence-assisted applications. Greater media attention on the cases leading to greater worker awareness of their rights. Did something break in people’s attitudes during the pandemic that contributed to the increase? Has working from home done something to curdle workplace relationships?
A key reason may have to do with the consultants and paid agents who have turned general protection and unfair dismissal claims into a business model.These paid agents are not lawyers or unions and are not subject to the same professional or ethical obligations. One paid agent told the commission his qualification was “the school of hard knocks”.
Many have figured out a way to automate unfair dismissal and general protection claims in a way that leverages payouts from employers with minimal cost.
