Sometimes, it might feel like everyone at one’s workplace is against them. Whether that is just the result of a bad day or something more serious is worth considering. There is such thing as workplace retaliation, and it can happen as a result of reporting inappropriate workplace behavior, among other things.
Retaliation in the workplace is defined as any adverse action that a company takes against an employee because he or she filed a complaint about harassment or discrimination. So, for example, an employee may bring to management attention that they have experienced harassment at work. If an employer is made aware of the alleged incident and yet does nothing to investigate, they can become responsible for retaliation or retaliatory behavior. There are other ways that an employer can retaliate against an employee.
There is intentional and unintentional retaliation. The truth of it is that employers can make the wrong decisions when dealing with an employee’s complaint of discrimination, and it can look like retaliation. Even if this was not the employer’s intention, what matters is the impact on the employee who made the complaint. If it is viewed as an action or outcome that is unsatisfactory to the employee who made the complaint.
If one believes their workplace complaint was not taken seriously, or that they suffered an undesirable consequence due to or after making the complaint, this sounds like retaliation. It can take a lot of courage to go to management and complain about harassment or discrimination one has suffered in the workplace. Retaliation can feel like a slap in the face. But, more than that, it can mean serious consequences for an employer.
Source: smallbusiness.findlaw.com, “Workplace Retaliation,” accessed on April 23, 2018