If you speak up in the workplace and report wrongdoing, you may face retaliation. Workplace retaliation happens when your employer takes an adverse action against you for reporting.
Retaliation examples
There are several examples of retaliation to be aware of. These include termination or demotion for participating in protected activity, like reporting harassment or discrimination, for example.
You may also face an unwarranted negative performance review, exclusion from meetings, projects or social connections with your co-workers, or you may be given disciplinary action like a warning or suspension without reason.
In addition, your employer may change your schedule to make it difficult for you to work, reduce your pay, or make accusations against you to negatively affect your reputation or make it difficult for you to find another job.
Responding to your employer
Retaliation is against the law and there are options to address it with your employer. It may be useful to first review your company’s policies and procedures to understand whether the actions they took are against internal guidelines.
Before moving forward with a claim, you will want to document all instances of the retaliation, including dates, times and locations as well as the names of witnesses, if any. You have the option to talk with your employer directly if you feel comfortable, which may include notifying your human resources department or your manager.
You can also file an employment law action against your employer. If you were terminated because of the retaliation, you may be entitled to return to your previous position.