Many times people worry if they complain to their boss or supervisor about harassment, they may be retaliatedagainst. In order to protect workers and encourage reporting, federal law makes it illegal to “retaliate” against employees who complain about discriminatory conduct. Retaliation includes negative employment actions such as firing, but also less obvious actions such as changing your work hours to a worse schedule, not promoting you, or assigning you to a different or more inconvenient location.
If you believe your employer has retaliated against you after complaining about discrimination or harassment, you may be able to bring a lawsuit for both the underlying action and retaliation. In fact, even if you’re not able to prove discrimination, you may still be able to win a claim for retaliation as long as you reasonably believed you were discriminated against.
A recent
Oregon case found that the actions of a company firing a gay man two days after he
complained of verbal abuse and harassment could be considered retaliation
under federal law and should be decided by a jury. The court also found
that he could bring a state case for harassment and sexual orientation
discrimination.
If you believe you – or a coworker – have been discriminated
against at work –- tell a supervisor. The law protects you. If your
employer retaliates against you, you may be able to sue both for discrimination
and any negative employment consequences as a result of your complaint.
For more information, please call one of our Atlanta employment lawyers at The Buckley Law Firm, LLC, LLC. We are dedicated to eliminating workplace discrimination and protecting worker’s rights.