What is an employment claim actually worth?
A strong claim still needs a realistic remedy. Lost wages, compensation, reinstatement and settlement value depend on the evidence, causation, mitigation and any employee contribution.
Liability is only half the case
Proving that the employer acted unjustifiably does not automatically prove the amount you should receive. Wage loss needs to be calculated and linked to the grievance. Compensation should reflect the actual humiliation, loss of dignity or injury to feelings. Reinstatement and other remedies depend on the circumstances.
- Keep payslips and calculate the wage-loss period accurately.
- Keep records of job applications, interviews, benefits and replacement income.
- Record the actual personal effect of the employer's conduct without exaggerating it.
- Keep medical or other corroborating evidence where it genuinely exists.
What has to be proved for remedy
This page focuses on remedy rather than a separate employer process.
Lost wages need evidence of income loss and mitigation.
Compensation requires credible evidence of humiliation, loss of dignity or injury to feelings.
Employee contribution can reduce remedies where the employee's own conduct contributed to the situation.
What actually matters here
01Lost wages need evidence and mitigation
If dismissal caused wage loss, the employee should preserve payslips, termination dates, new-employment earnings and job-search records. The amount claimed should be calculated from actual loss, and the employee's reasonable efforts to find replacement work can be important. Settlement negotiations are stronger when the wage-loss figure is transparent and defensible.
02Compensation should match the actual harm
Compensation for humiliation, loss of dignity or injury to feelings is fact-specific. The evidence should explain what the employer's unjustified conduct actually did to the employee rather than relying on inflated labels. Contemporary messages, medical evidence where relevant, changes in functioning and credible witness evidence can all help establish the real effect.
03Contribution can change the result
Under the current Employment Relations Act settings, employee contribution can significantly affect remedies, and serious misconduct can remove remedies that might otherwise have been available. A proper case valuation therefore looks at both the employer's wrongdoing and the employee conduct the employer is likely to rely on.
04A settlement can solve more than money
Reference wording, end date, notice, holiday pay, correction or removal of warnings, confidentiality, announcements and return of property can matter as much as the headline payment. A sensible settlement package should solve the practical consequences of the dispute as well as its monetary value.
What a useful result can look like
There is no automatic tariff that turns every successful personal grievance into the same payout. Facts, proof, contribution, wage loss and settlement risk all matter.
Lost wages and related entitlements.
Compensation for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings.
Reinstatement where appropriate.
Other orders or settlement terms depending on the claim.