Employers are not permitted to retaliate against their employees in any way. Protections are in place for workers to keep their jobs safe from workplace retaliation. State and federal laws provide protections for workers against retaliation in the workplace. Workers who have brought a claim for sexual harassment, discrimination or have acted as a whistleblower, and in some other instances, cannot be retaliated against and may have legal remedies to consider if they are.
There are a variety of ways an employer may retaliate against an employee and all are prohibited. Workers may suffer termination, demotions, the denial of a promotion, altered job assignments, altered benefits or harassment in retaliation for bring a sexual harassment, discrimination or other type of claim which is not acceptable. The law takes unlawful retaliation against employees seriously and it is important for workers to be familiar with their rights and how to exercise them to protect themselves and their jobs.
Most workers rely on their jobs to support themselves and their families and a job is an important aspect of most people’s lives. When it is unlawfully threatened, it can be destabilizing, alarming and upsetting to a worker and their family. The law recognizes this and seeks to protect workers from unlawful retaliation and other unlawful and wrongful conduct in the workplace that may threaten a worker’s livelihood and peace of mind.
While important laws are in place to protect workers, it is useful for workers to be familiar with the protections available to them. Understanding the protections available to them, and how to use them to protect themselves and their families, can help workers who have been unlawfully retaliated against minimize the anxiety and harm associated with workplace harassment and other unlawful activities in the workplace.