GanzChroma 0221
What's arbitration?
Did you sign an arbitration agreement when you started at your company? Most people respond with, "What's arbitration?" This is part of the insidious deception of this trick. Very few people know what arbitration is and its implications for artist.
Here's how it works. After you accept a job offer, HR congratulates you and hands you a stack of documents to sign. Excited about the new job, most people sign without reading them. Somewhere between 20-40% of employers include an arbitration agreement in this pile, or it's buried in the employee handbook with an acknowledgment page for you to sign.
If you refuse the arbitration agreement, HR will likely rescind the job offer. But what does arbitration actually mean? An arbitration agreement states that if there's ever a dispute between you and the company, you can't sue them in the public court system.
Instead, you must use private arbitration. This secretive, binding judicial process is final with no right to appeal.
In arbitration, a retired judge or former defense attorney, paid by the company, acts as judge and jury. If you have any common sense, you're asking: How often do arbitrators, paid by the company, rule in favor of the employee? The answer: yeah not very often.
Let's say you have a strong case against the company. In arbitration, its settlement value is substantially less than in the regular court system. This is great for the company, terrible for you.
Without question, arbitration is one way to minimize harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims.
I don't believe all HR reps are bad people, but I believe their incentives are misaligned. There are good people in this profession who take pride in what they do and do their best to foster a positive work environment. However, if you ever find yourself on the other side, you will quickly learn no one is coming to your aid.
That is why having "F*ck You" money is so important. No one can predict your future in a workplace. Relationships sour, bosses reveal themselves to be a$$holes, people get thrown under the bus, and sometimes you are set up for failure from the beginning for all sorts of reasons.
Whatever the case, if you work for someone else, they hold all the cards.
Growing up involves building your own deck of cards and surrounding yourself with people who understand that life isn't a zero-sum game.
Stay informed and protect yourself, not just in your art, but in your career decisions too.
Read Part 1 Here - https://lnkd.in/gDeura5t
Read Part 2 Here - https://lnkd.in/gYqk2Ze9
Read Part 3 Here - https://lnkd.in/gqg7gXbM