As someone who earns a living working in California, you have certain rights, and one of them involves your right to call attention to harassment, discrimination and wrongdoing within your place of business without having to fear for your job. When your employer, supervisor or someone else at your place of business treats you unfavorably because you took such action, he or she may be guilty of employment retaliation, and you may be able to hold that employer accountable. At the office of Jay S. Rothman & Associates, we have a firm understanding of what constitutes workplace retaliation, and we have helped many victims of this type of behavior pursue appropriate recourse.
Per the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, you have certain rights with regard to participating in what are known as “protected activities,” and no one in your place of business can treat you poorly or unfairly because you decide to exercise them. What might work-related retaliation look like? It can take on numerous forms, but you may be a victim of workplace retaliation if your employer demotes you, fires you or changes your duties for less desirable ones in the wake of you exercising a protected right.
You may also be a victim of workplace retaliation if, after exercising one of your protected rights, others in your workplace physically abuse or verbally harass you. You may also be a victim if your employer or supervisor gives you an employee review that is negative and not reflective of your actual job performance.
If an employer or supervisor begins placing you under intensified scrutiny while performing job duties, this may, too, constitute workplace retaliation. Find more about this topic on our web page.