Are You A Victim Of Retaliation In The Workplace?

On Behalf of | May 20, 2022 | Uncategorized

After experiencing mistreatment of any kind in the workplace, such as harassment or discrimination, an employee has the right to report what he or she experienced. If you filed a claim or report against your New Mexico employer, you should be able to do so without fear of further mistreatment. Retaliation is a serious issue, and if you are a victim, you do not have to remain silent about what you are going through. 

Workplace retaliation can be a complex issue, and you may fear that speaking out about it could bring even more difficulty to your situation. Retaliation can come in many different forms, and it may be helpful to understand what types of behaviors are illegal and what is grounds for legal action. Retaliation is especially common after reporting instances of sexual harassment in the workplace. 

Know what counts as retaliation 

It is not always clear what types of behaviors step over the line from inconvenient and inappropriate to illegal and unacceptable. Reporting sexual harassment is a daunting and often frightening thing to do, but employers may not always respond well to this. Retaliation could come in the form of demoting you, refusing to allow you certain opportunities, reducing your pay and more. Regardless of how your employer handles your complaint, you may have protection against retaliation even if you did not specifically use the term sexual harassment. 

Retaliation is not always illegal. In order to prove that what you experienced counts as retaliation, you must have made the original claim in the genuine belief that you were experiencing or witnessing illegal actions. It is the responsibility of each individual employer to take claims of sexual harassment by employees seriously and create a workplace culture and practices in which retaliation in any form is unacceptable. 

What are the options available to you? 

If you believe you are experiencing workplace retaliation, you do not have to endure this mistreatment in silence. As these cases are time-sensitive, you will benefit from taking immediate action to learn about the legal options available to you. An assessment of your case can help you determine if what you are experiencing counts as workplace retaliation and what steps you can take to protect your rights and interests. Through the appropriate course of action, you can hold your employer accountable for any illegal treatment you experienced. 

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