How To Deal With An Arrest So It Doesn’t Impact Your Career
Getting arrested can be immensely stressful when you start to consider what you will tell your employer. There are some employers that would not care about a simple arrest or the arrest might be overlooked due to your superior performance. Your managers will be more likely to be understanding if you are a star employee. You need to take control of your situation as years of work could be impacted by one arrest. The following are tips to deal with an arrest so it doesn’t impact your career.
Take Advantage Of Remote Work Privileges
Court dates are set in advance so you can take time off whether it is a full day or a portion of a day. Remote work makes it easy to make it to court without any suspicion arising. You can even work from the parking lot of the courthouse as all you have to do is tether your computer to your phone’s mobile hotspot. Remote workers also might not let something slip when saying something as they will not be sharing an office with anyone.
Read Your Employee Handbook Thoroughly
There is a possibility that there is no language about what to do after being arrested. Most companies might tell you that it is common sense to let your employer know. This couldn’t be further from the truth as you could have been falsely accused of something. Another possibility is that you didn’t understand local laws as state laws can vary drastically along with punishments. Trespassing laws in NC might differ in the amount you are fined or potential jail time that you face.
If you do not have to tell your employer and your arrest doesn’t impact your ability to do your job, the best course of action might be to stay quiet. If the charges are dropped, there will be nothing to worry about in the slightest. It is just unfortunate that some companies do not believe that you are innocent until proven guilty.
Don’t Tell Any Coworkers
The professional environment tends to yield friendships due to people being in close proximity for a number of hours a week. The unfortunate truth is that people might pretend to be friendly then will take advantage when they know something about you. So many people have been betrayed by others they thought were their friends in order for them to climb the corporate ladder. Even if you decide to tell management, don’t disclose this to coworkers. If they do find out, you will know management has told them which could be a sign it is time to find a job where your privacy is valued.
Take a proactive approach to try to minimize the impact that an arrest has on your career. The last thing you want is to have all of the hard work you have done to be for nothing due to a single incident. People make mistakes that can be forgiven and people can truly change which some employers understand.
