As much as we may try to keep our home life and work life separate, there are times where things from outside the office could impact your workday in various ways. For many people in CA, getting a divorce sends shockwaves through every facet of their life and places them under a great deal of stress.

Combined with today’s increased lack of privacy and dominant corporate cultures that encourage getting rid of “problematic” employees, it is only natural for people to become worried or anxious. Today’s post is a look at this very issue, where we’ll be examining if and how your divorce could affect your job and career prospects.

Divorce Alone is Not Grounds For Termination or Other Workplace Consequences

It’s true, employers do have the right to fire employees if there is legitimate business reasoning to do so. Employers however cannot and should not penalize employees for personal decisions that don’t impact their job performance. This includes things such as whether an employee is married, getting a divorce, has kids, etc. 

How Divorce Could Impact Your Work and Jeopardize Your Job

While you may be protected from being unfairly dismissed simply due to a divorce, here are other ways that it could potentially jeopardize your job. These can include:

Work performance issues: If you’re under significant stress and facing an uncertain future, it can be difficult to stay focused on the present moment. Increased mistakes or deteriorating work performance could land you in hot water with clients, employers, and anyone else you may interact with at work.

Attendance or tardiness issues: Whether you’re juggling many court-required appointments or, running back and forth to fulfill parental obligations in the middle of a custody dispute, it’s no secret that divorce is a very time consuming process. Your employer could take issue with your decreased presence in the office. 

Interpersonal issues and poor judgment: It can be tempting to gossip or vent about the ex to co-workers, or even to other acquaintances on social media. Be careful what you put out there though as any potential drama could come back to your employer. Many are quick to act when they feel they are being poorly represented by employers, either on or off the clock. 

Talk to a Family Law Attorney Today

As you can see, there’s no straightforward answer when it comes to the potential impact that your divorce can have on other areas of your life. One of the best pieces of advice we can offer is we suggest you take time to reach out to a reputable family law attorney in CA. 

Sit down with a qualified professional, share your concerns, and let them guide you via their expertise in this complex area of the law. Learn more about how our CA divorce attorneys at the White Oak Law are here to help, and give us a call at 925-271-0999 today.