The job ended, and the reason does not hold
Most jobs can end for almost any reason, or none. What a job cannot end for is a short list: a protected trait, a complaint about pay or safety, a medical or family leave, a refusal to break the law.
The question is why, and when
I start with the calendar. What happened in the weeks before the last day, who said what to whom, and which reason you were given first. A reason that shifts between the meeting and the letter tells me more than any single sentence.
Laid off is still a reason to look
A layoff can be real and still be unfair in who it picks, or in what it offers. Notice, final pay and the paper you are handed all come with rules, and the paper is where most of the leverage sits.
Worth a call
Patterns that make me look closer
Any one is enough to talk. None of them proves a claim, and I will say so.
A reason that changes
HR, your manager and the letter each say something different.
Timing after speaking up
A complaint, a request for leave or a question about pay, then a write-up within weeks.
Good reviews, sudden problems
Years of solid reviews, then a performance plan with no warning.
Told to resign
Offered a chance to quit quietly before you are fired.
Replaced right away
Your duties went to someone new, younger or less experienced.
Pushed out on leave
Let go while you were out, or just after you came back.
Before you clear your desk
Keep what you are allowed to keep
Write down dates while they are fresh: meetings, messages, the day you complained. Keep your own pay stubs, offer letter and reviews. Photos of your schedule or handbook count.
Do not take files that belong to the company, and do not forward its documents to a personal account. That can hurt a claim that was otherwise sound. If you are unsure whether something is yours, ask me before you copy it.
A dated list of what happened, in your own words
Your own pay stubs, offer letter and reviews
Nothing the company would call its property
Questions after the last day
Can I be fired for any reason?
In most workplaces an employer can end a job without giving a reason, but not for one that the law protects. The reason, and the timing, decide it.
I was laid off, not fired. Does that matter?
A layoff can still raise questions about notice, final pay and who was chosen. The paper you are asked to sign matters most.
What if I am the one who quit?
Sometimes a resignation is not really a choice, when conditions were made impossible or you were told to leave. That is a conversation to have before you say more to anyone.
Was the reason different on the last day?
Tell me the order things happened in. I will tell you whether it is worth pursuing, and what to do first.