According the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), workplace retaliation is the primary type of discrimination that federal workers face.
Individuals who apply for or hold government jobs aren’t the only ones who are punished, harassed or discriminated against for engaging in activities protected by Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws though. Many who work in the private and public sectors are retaliated against as well.
Retaliation can take on many forms. It can involve an individual being subjected to physical or verbal abuse or added scrutiny. If an employee is transferred to a less desirable role with their company or their work is made more difficult because their employer changes up their schedule, then these may also be considered as retaliatory acts.
Any Indianapolis employer that gives a worker a poorer-than-expected performance evaluation, threatens to report them to the authorities for immigration or legal issues or reprimands them may also be guilty of retaliation. Any employer who treats a worker’s family members poorly or attempts to spread false rumors about their employee may be as well.
The leadership of a company is legally prohibited from interfering with an employee’s ability to provide witness testimony as part of an EEO investigation. It’s also unlawful for them to stop an employee from reporting discrimination or answering questions during an investigation.
Indiana employers are prohibited from coercing a worker to discriminate against others and from taking action against a worker for requesting accommodation for a religious practice or disability. Any worker who intervenes to stop sexual harassment cannot be retaliated against for doing so under existing EEO laws.
When an incident happens that has the potential of affecting a company’s bottom line or reputation, many employers will take steps to transfer the role of, demote or fire a worker that has the potential of causing them problems. Building a case to prove that you were discriminated against isn’t always easy to do, however, a workplace retaliation attorney can guide you through the process of building a wrongful termination claim.
