Understanding Some Common Kinds of Employer Retaliation

Employers typically reserve the right to terminate an employee’s contract for certain reasons. However, some employers may abuse these rights and fire workers who have engaged in fair or protected activities without just cause.  Injustices in the workplace including harassment, unpaid overtime, discrimination, or breach of contract can all be contested legally. However, in these cases, employees are often hesitant to pursue legal action fearing retaliation.

Any action, taken by an employer, to punish or harm an employee after they have filed a complaint or exercised their rights falls under the umbrella of unlawful retaliation. Federal law has strong worker protections in place to ensure that all employees are protected from such retaliation.  As per https://www.forbes.com, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission receives more retaliation claims than any other kind of case every year. Workers need to know their rights- here are the most common kinds of retaliation you may face after filing a complaint.

Invisibility, Exclusion, and Social Boycott

A telltale sign of retaliation is if you can notice yourself being slowly pushed out of workplace activities and being treated like you don’t exist or are not important in the workplace. This could range from simple things like being left out of mailers you would receive earlier and not being called to meetings you should attend, to finding yourself not invited to group lunches or team-building sessions. This can be a major drain on your emotional well-being and can also damage your career and workplace relationships. It is hard to fight this kind of retaliation, but the best you can do is to not discuss your claims with anyone not directly involved or in the loop about them. You can find a good lawyer by checking the map below.

What is worse is that these actions are not only very common but also very difficult to prove in court. They must be documented thoroughly and referred to an attorney as soon as possible.

Discharge, Denial, and Demotions

The most obvious action the employer can take is to hit you where it hurts and terminate your employment outright to denying benefits that are due to you per your contract, applying unjust fines, or hindering your career progression. These actions are entirely illegal and must be pushed back against.

Verbal Abuse and Harassment

It is quite common for the parties that you have raised a complaint against to be abrasive and insulting towards you in the days following your action. This descends, often into verbal and sometimes physical abuse. If these actions are conducted, ignored, or enabled by your employer, they can be sued for retaliation. You must seek out lawyers for employer retaliation in Oakland at the soonest.

Conclusion

Retaliation tends to get nasty and is very long-winded. Even if you get exasperated and leave the job, it may follow you around as your toxic employers or colleagues poison your reputation in their professional networks by bad-mouthing you. These hostile actions can be outright due to malice or due to pressure from superiors and peers at the workplace. These heinous acts can seriously affect your career progression as well as your physical and mental well-being. You must contact an attorney as soon as you notice the signs.