Solving your employment Problems

Workers should not face punishment for reporting abuse

On Behalf of | Sep 22, 2021 | Workplace discrimination |

Maybe your manager has started outright belittling you instead of trying to motivate you before each shift. Their cruel words have started to hurt your self-esteem or make you feel like you don’t want to come to work. 

It’s also possible that maybe some of your co-workers have started make insensitive jokes about your appearance or your racial background. You’ve asked them to stop, but they have just kept right on doing what they want with little regard for how you feel. 

When you have had enough and decide to report the matter to your employer, you should be able to trust that they will act to protect you. Unfortunately, businesses will sometimes punish or retaliate against workers who report discrimination, harassment or abuse on the job.

Retaliation can take many forms

Some companies don’t try to hide the way that they retaliate against workers who speak up about mistreatment. They might summarily terminate someone the same week that they bring a complaint against a co-worker or a manager with no explanation for why. 

Other times, companies are a bit more subtle in their retaliation. They might demote someone, move them to a worse shift, give them fewer hours or start passing them over for opportunities. Retaliation can also happen slowly. An employer may document minor infractions so that the company has an official excuse for firing a worker who made a complaint. 

If your employer has ignored your reports of mistreatment on the job or has started taking punitive actions against you, keeping your own records of what has happened might help you in the future. Being able to identify potential acts of retaliation could help you advocate for yourself if your employer allows discrimination or harassment on the job.