I meet employers and employees on a regular basis to advice on employment law.
The context is usually the man/woman in front of me in the consultation has received a letter from the Workplace Relations Commission advising him/her of a complaint from a former employee.
When they read through the complaint, they invariably tell me “it’s all lies” and “is there penalty for telling lies?” and “this is shocking, can we sue for defamation?” etc.
What the aggrieved individual sitting in front of me fails to appreciate is that both sides will put forward their version of events. And often there will be a conflict between the two stories.
This is natural and understandable. Ask two witnesses what they saw at a car accident and both will have similar, but different, stories to tell.
Just because someone else, like an employee, has a different version of events or story to tell it doesn’t mean they are telling lies and a claim for defamation is open to you.
Sometimes, you just need to accept that a person’s perspective on a series of events in a relationship can be different from yours.
Because they are looking at it with different eyes and from a different place.
Get over it.
Learn more about employment law in Ireland in my book.