An employer can try to intimidate its employees as a way to do unethical and even illegal things and get away with them. They will try to use this intimidation to keep people from speaking out and to keep them in line. This is called retaliation and is totally illegal.
If you were to stand up and make your voice heard about things you see that you are against and you find yourself being mistreated as a result, then this is an example of retaliation. Luckily, there are laws to protect people from retaliation. There are also many law firms that will help you. If you are in California, for instance, you can contact HKM’s Irvine branch to ask for a consultation.
In this article, we will go over some of the signs that your boss has retaliated against you so you can then go to a lawyer.
1 – Sudden negative performance reviews
If you were a model employee for years with many positive and glowing performance reviews under your belt, then suddenly started getting negative ones then this is a sure sign. Usually, this happens when you speak up about something you don’t like and that makes the boss angry.
It could be anything that sets them off. If you complain about unfair treatment of yourself or your coworkers then this could be enough to rock the boat in their eyes. Or, you may be experiencing discrimination and then you bring it up to the HR department. There are a number of things that you could speak up about and then find yourself getting these sudden negative performance reviews. If you do encounter this situation then learn more here about hiring an attorney and building a case against your employer.
2 – Denied promotions
Promotions are generally a way to reward an employee that has been with the company for a while or has shown to be an asset that deserves praise. When you are getting regular raises and promotions and then find that you are being passed over since you spoke up about something then this could be evidence that you are being retaliated against.
There is a lot of plausible deniability on the part of your boss if you feel that you are being passed over as punishment. It pays to have a lot of evidence to back up your idea that this is not just a matter of you being passed over by others that are more deserving.
3 – Unfair schedule changes
One of the cruelest ways for a boss to retaliate is to change your schedule to make your life difficult. It isn’t unusual for retaliation to be in the form of reduced hours if you are an hourly employee so that you make less money. Another way is to give you hours that will be difficult for you to work if you have a family or other obligations.
The objective for your boss is to make it so that you quit and they don’t have to fire you and face serious consequences. Since this is also illegal, they will still face consequences if you decide to pursue a case for retaliation.
