Is your employer making life hard for you at the workplace because you filed a harassment claim? Then you may be a victim of workplace retaliation, which is against the law.
Filing a harassment claim is among the activities protected by labor laws, and your employer should not take any negative actions against you. If anything, they should facilitate investigations into your claims and ensure justice is served.
Forms of workplace retaliation
Workplace retaliation can take many forms. Some may be subtle, while others are obvious. Some examples of workplace retaliation include:
- An unfair reduction in wages
- Reassignment to less-desirable duties
- Unjustified demotions
- Unjustified dismissal
- Exclusion from office events
- Rumors and gossip that damage your reputation
- Unfavorable work schedules
Generally, any adverse actions against you for engaging in a protected activity may amount to retaliation.
It is advisable to try and address the situation internally by raising the matter through your organization’s human resource department. In some cases, this is enough to end the retaliatory actions. However, if it persists, it may be time to explore your other options, including taking your concerns to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the body tasked with addressing such issues.
How do you prove retaliation?
Proving retaliation can get complicated since your employer may try to justify their actions. Evidence may include testimony from your colleagues or communication records that would help your case. However, be careful not to rely on recorded private conversations as evidence since it is against the law to record such conversations without all the parties’ consent.
If you think you’re the victim of workplace retaliation, it may be time to learn more about your legal options.
